


Taste of Darkness

by Nako13yeh



Series: Spade Finral [1]
Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Black Bulls Squad as Family (Black Clover), Brotherly Bonding, Developing Friendships, Emotional Manipulation, Finral isn't as Innocent as he seems, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Investigations, M/M, Murder-Suicide, Pre-Relationship, Protective Siblings, Secrets & Lies, Spade! Finral Roulacase, The Dark Triad, The Spade Kingdom, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Yami's not falling for his tricks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:47:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22048867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nako13yeh/pseuds/Nako13yeh
Summary: There are many things people fear, and House Vaude is one of them.Rumors started when Ledior Vaude’s eldest son, Finral, disappeared when he was 8 years old. It only increased when the mysterious death toll began right after the eldest son returned 7 years later. Yami never believed in rumors, but he's not a fool. He could tell Finral's playing innocent.But Yami likes interesting people and recruits him.His mistake was trusting him.He really shouldn't be playing with the devil.
Relationships: Finral Roulacase & Langris Vaude, Finral Roulacase & Yami Sukehiro, Finral Roulacase/Yami Sukehiro
Series: Spade Finral [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1587196
Comments: 69
Kudos: 194





	1. Just a Game

Yami sighed as he walked around the hall of the Magic Knight coliseum in Kikka pretending he was lost. He felt mana surge from inside. In a few minutes, the exam was going to start and it would be full of arrogant asses thinking they could get in _just_ because of their social standing. Yami couldn’t truly complain, because sometimes, that was reality.

Not for him, though.

He took a sharp turn around the corner and found a blade pressed against his throat. The dull blade was coated in mana, making it sharp, precise, and the air around it cool to touch. Yes, cool. That was the feeling of Spatial Magic.

The sweet voice behind the dagger asks, “You’re not going to desert me, are you?”

Yami thought that was a tone that would lull anyone into a false sense of security. “Wouldn’t really dream of it.” He lazily answered. “Aren’t we on the same page here?”

“That depends.”

“Are _you_ going to desert me?”

“I don’t see why you need me here.” The blade remained on Yami’s throat. “You have Gordon with you this time.”

Yami shrugged, “He’s not very talkative.”

“And I am?”

“We’re talking now, aren’t we?”

A scowl formed on the sweet face. The blade lowered a little, but it doesn’t mean it was over. Yami grumbled and moved forward, inching closer to the blade until it almost touched his chest. In an instant, the mana dissipated before it could do any serious damage.

The sweet face contorted to annoyance.

Yami smirked, “I win.”

“Excuse you?”

“We both know that you trying to kill me is old news.” He snorted as he loomed over the lean figure and trapped him by the wall. A hand inched beside the sweet, tempting face and rested on the wall behind him. “We had a bet, _remember_?”

“It’s a stupid bet and I refuse to participate.”

“Coward.”

A grimace formed on his lips, “Don’t try to appeal to my masculinity. It’s not going to work.” He sighed and hid the blade beneath his sleeve. “It’s a stupid bet and your assumptions about me aren’t true.”

Yami snorted. “Whatever you say.”

In an attempt to win the bet and prove his assumptions true, Yami leaned a little closer and lowered his face to the smaller figure’s neck. One exhale and the figure shuddered. _A stupid bet, indeed._ “You gonna call it quits or what?” He teased, knowing full well he was going to win. “Just remember, this wasn’t my idea.” He inched even closer, lips brushing the exposed ear. “This was _your_ game.”

He could sense his Ki spike, but the figure remained still.

“What do you say, Finral?”

“Tch,” He hissed as he pushed Yami away from him. “Fine, but you’re not winning. I’ll prove it to you. You’re wrong.”

Yami laughed and walked away.

Finral narrowed his eyes as he tapped his foot in annoyance at the retreating figure. He shouldn’t have made that _stupid_ bet! He wanted to wring his hair out in frustration, but that was pushed aside when he realized where Yami was going.

He moved to follow him.

“’ _Join the Magic Knights’,_ he said.” Finral grumbled, trying to catch up to Yami. “’ _It’ll be easier to kill them’,_ he said. Why thank you, Lord Dante, for the sound advice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and tell me what you think~ Thank you!


	2. Curse of House Vaude

There were many things people feared: the unknown, loneliness, death, intimacy, demons… and _the curse of House Vaude._

Small rumors started when Ledior Vaude’s eldest son, Finral Vaude, disappeared when he was 8 years old. The rumors skyrocketed when the mysterious death toll began right after the eldest son returned 7 years later.

They said the eldest son was cursed, a plague to those who met him.

They said _death_ came to those who deserved it and his angelic face and personality was what made the mystery more than the tale of his disappearance. The mysterious death toll began right after he returned at 15 years of age, with nary a scratch, a memory, or any leads regarding his disappearance.

The beginning of the story was always the same.

It started out with a harmless game of hide and seek between the two siblings of House Vaude, one of which they rarely enjoyed under the pressure of their responsibilities. Finral and Langris went out to play and only one son returned.

* * *

**oOo**

_“Please,” Finral tugged. “Just one game?”_

_“No.” Langris scowled. “We have lessons to go to.”_

_“Just one?”_

_Langris stared at Finral, who was still waiting for him to answer. He looked out the window and felt a tinge of annoyance, because it was such a beautiful day out. He thought about it and sighed, “Just one.” He barely finished talking when Finral happily tugged him out the door. They nearly ran into one of the house maids._

_Finral apologized, “Sorry.”_

_“Young masters!” She called. “It’s time for your lesson!”_

_“Just one game!” Finral replied. “Thank you!”_

_The maid giggled and shook her head. Children will be children, she thought. It was, after all, just one game. She turned on her heels to tell the tutor that the boys would be back in half an hour. Langris had no time to call back to the maid as Finral tugged him out into the garden._

_Langris voiced, “Father’s going to get mad at you again.”_

_“It’ll be fine.” Finral smiled. “Do you want to hide or be the seeker?”_

_“Does it matter?”_

_“Of course it does.”_

_Langris shrugged, “I’ll hide.”_

_Finral’s smile turned into a grin. He told Langris to hide anywhere he wanted to. So Finral faced the trunk of the tree, closed his eyes, and began to count. Langris stared at Finral, and then turned back to the house. Their father wouldn’t like them skipping their lessons. So Langris decided to be clever and hide in the library where their tutor was._

_His brother said he could hide anywhere._

_But hours later, Finral never returned._

* * *

**oOo**

The rumors diverged from there.

Some said Ledior’s son was kidnapped as leverage against Ledior, since he was renowned for his house, his nobility, and reputation. House Vaude certainly had no shortage of enemies, and they weren’t exactly the most polite of noble families in Clover. Not only that, but they were rare Spatial Magic users (which only added to their prestige). It was most likely a ploy for revenge or a declaration of war.

They would never know.

Some said Ledior was the one that had his son taken.

It wasn’t a secret that his eldest wasn’t as impressive as his youngest. Social functions held by House Vaude proved that. It wouldn’t be a far stretch that Ledior had someone sweep the rug for him to save their family’s reputation. Others believe it was due to his temper and unbridled upbringing of his sons that caused the eldest to defect and run from his responsibilities.

Sadly, it wasn’t just Ledior caught in the rumors.

Even his wife, Liliane, couldn’t escape public scrutiny. Some said it was her, in her untempered jealousy for her husband’s dead wife, that she either killed the boy herself or had someone do it for her.

Numerous _other_ rumors came after that.

Magic Knights were deployed; investigations ran through, patrols were heavily issued should another attempt happen to the youngest son, and House Vaude was under surveillance. However, no one could find a single lead.

The disappearance of Finral Vaude was later dropped and declared unsolved…

Until 7 years later, when a boy of 15 mysteriously showed up at one of the grimoire towers even before the annual _Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony_ held every year of March. Grimoire towers were usually locked and guarded to follow the tradition of obtaining your grimoire once every year.

The Lord of the grimoire called the Magic Knights to investigate.

Once they got in, they find a boy sitting in the middle of the tower, reading his own grimoire.

His angelic face and innocent stare threw them for a loop, but they knew better than to be fooled by the innocence of a child. It surprised them that the boy had gotten into the tower, because there was no evidence of a break in; not even the magical locks were tried.

“Don’t move.” They told him.

The boy remained where he was until he was surrounded and his grimoire taken. Magical cuffs were placed on his wrists to prevent him from using any form of magic. They asked him several _obvious_ questions, all of which he answered truthfully.

What surprised them most was when they asked him his name.

“Finral of House Vaude.”

They didn’t bother to question the validity of his claim. Because of his famous disappearance and the rumors surrounding those tales, the Knights wasted no time in calling for higher authorities to take over the situation.

Finral was immediately transported to Julius’ office.

He was nervous and tight, but Julius was nothing but a ball of sunshine. He went up to Finral with a smile and told him: “My name is Julius Novachrono. It’s going to be alright. We just want to ask you a few questions, but before that I would like Doctor Owen to check you. Is that fine?”

Owen added, “I won’t be too invasive.”

Finral let him work.

Upon physical checkup, they found nothing wrong with him. Usually victims like Finral, in kidnapping cases, had some form of abuse on their bodies that went along with their mental and emotional problems. Finral wasn’t experiencing any of those signs and there just wasn’t any physical damage whatsoever.

However, there was _something_ about Finral’s mental state that bothered Owen.

“How old are you?” He asked.

“Eight.”

That surprised Julius, Owen, and Marx, because clearly Finral was 15. To have him say he was still the 8 year old child that got lost means there was a problem with his mind. The adults in the room figured Finral must be under a spell that most likely erased his memories.

Marx asked, “What do you remember after playing that game with your brother?”

“I was in the tower,” Finral said. “A grimoire flew into my hand.”

“And you decided to read it?”

“Yes.”

They asked more questions, but none of Finral’s answers were useful. All he remembered was from the point of seeking his brother in their game to when he got his grimoire. It made no sense to lose that long of a time. Clearly, Finral had been taught and educated, because the way he spoke was proper for his age. His mind had been tampered with. The person who kidnapped Finral Vaude must not want himself found, but at least they had some idea.

Finral watched them discuss in the corner.

He couldn’t help but stare at them in confusion. Part of him wanted to go home and find his little brother, and to see if he was alright. He doesn’t know why, but he had a bad feeling. He distracted himself by staring at the tallest man, wearing expensive looking robes and jewelry.

_Could it be?_

“Excuse me?” Finral called. “Are you _really_ the Wizard King?”

Julius turned and smiled, “Yes, I am.”

Remembering everything he was taught at home, he voiced, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. My father admires you a lot. He often says you’re the most powerful mage in the entire kingdom and someone to aspire to be.”

“Thank you.” He grinned. “You’re very knowledgeable.”

Once the necessity of politeness was finished, Finral asked, “Will I be fine? Am I done with my checkup? I don’t mean to be rude, but… my family must be… worried. I was supposed to be at my lessons… and my brother too…”

Julius nodded, “I understand, but don’t worry. We will contact your family soonest.”

“My brother…”

“He’s safely at home with your parents.” Marx interrupted, sharing a careful glance with Julius. “That’s why you’re here, because we want to make sure you’re well and adjusted before we send you home.”

Finral bought it. “Okay, thank you.”

Finral clenched his fists on top of his lap as he stopped himself from asking more questions like: _why was he bigger?_ He remembered his father telling him to _“Shut up!”_ and not ask too many question that would make people angry. Finral knew when to obey. He never liked it when people got mad at him. He said so before and will always say it; he doesn’t like violence or have someone be violent towards him.

His reluctance to ask must’ve alarmed the adults in the room.

Owen smiled, “There’s nothing to fear.”

“True,” Julius assured. “You’re in capable hands.”

Finral nodded at the assurance, not bothering to question the most powerful mage in Clover. Marx was given the go signal and slowly, to not startle the boy, he looked into his memories. Just as they thought, there was nothing.

The last 7 years of Finral’s life was completely wiped.

Marx told Owen that it may have been a concussion, because he couldn’t find a single grain of tampering or magic involved. Owen disagreed, because such an injury would leave scars. Even if it was healed over time, there would’ve still been some form of evidence that would tell them what happened. Julius said something powerful was at work to do such a thing without a trace of magic.

They continued to discuss Finral’s situation, until a shout from the door alerted them.

“You’re not allowed to be in here!”

“Get out of my way!”

The door burst open and Ledior came through, looking like he ran all the way from the main entrance of the castle. Due to House Vaude being a famous noble household (one who stands most among other noble families), word spread quickly about Finral’s return.

It wasn’t a surprise that Ledior found out and rushed to the scene.

Ledior gasped, “Finral?”

He remained silent and nervous. He was shocked to find his father had aged and wanted to ask, but he was too... confused and scared. Julius took a step forward and blocked both their views. With a smile, Julius greeted Ledior.

“Good afternoon.” He chuckled. “You came before I could ask one of my messengers to find you.”

“F-forgive me for the interruption!” Ledior bowed in apology. “When I heard the news, I had to… I had to see for myself if it were true. It took me some time before I could gather information—”

Julius raised a hand, “All is well.”

“I think we need to speak in private.” Marx declared. “There’s much to discuss.”

Once everything was explained to Ledior, the Wizard King dismissed Ledior from his office, but not until he let father and son speak to each other. It was brief, stale, and awkward. Ledior explained that Finral had to stay in the hospital for further tests to see if he was truly well enough to return, mentally or otherwise, to House Vaude.

Another reason he didn’t speak about was the fact that there might be manipulation, a ploy to gain insight among one of the noblest families out there, and what better way than to use their own prodigy to gather that information, right?

So yes, they needed to check him before he’s cleared.

“It won’t be long.” Ledior voiced. “Behave yourself, Finral.”

“I will.” Finral nodded.

They explained the basics to him. He lost 7 years of memory. He was ordered not to try and reclaim it, but if he should gain the memories back, he had to go straight back to them. That was fine with Finral. After a week and a half full of observations and tests, they found nothing wrong with him. He was discharged and ready to go back home, but it wasn’t that simple.

“Should we monitor him?” Marx asked.

“Just for a week.” Julius said. “If nothing comes up, there’s nothing more we can do.”

They let Finral, who was grateful that he would finally be able to see his little brother again, go home with his grimoire. He wondered what Langris would look like after 7 years. Probably different, sturdier, maybe someone that looked a lot like their father… but Finral doubted it… maybe a tougher version of Liliane?

He went home and found that nothing had changed.

Finral settled into a routine.

Another week and a half in, and the Knights watching him had long given up.

It was as if Finral had never left in the first place. He was the same in and out of the hospital. Finral tried to spend more time with Langris to make up for the lost years, and while Langris was determined to _pretend_ he didn’t like it; was slightly overjoyed with the turn of events.

When Finral retired to his room for the day, a bitter smile crept upon his lips.

Finral looked out the window, into the dark sky and the dimly lit town of Tota. His memories had started to return, bit by bit, after he left the hospital. It was just his luck that Marx hadn’t touched his memories again, not after the first three to four sessions after he returned.

That forbidden spell to erase his memories worked like a wonder, but now, the final shreds of his memories were back.

He placed a hand on the window sill to steady himself.

Finral’s lips curved downward and his eyes narrowed as he remembered the most important memory he had. The people of Clover were foolish. They didn’t realize the enemy had slipped past their defenses and was now right under their noses.

“Phase one, complete.” Finral sighed. “Onto the next.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and tell me what you think~ Thank you!


	3. Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Langris sighed as he went over the paperwork in the Vaude garden behind the mansion. He could hear the trickling of the water from the fountain and the soft chirp of the birds hiding in the trees. The cool, gentle breeze calmed his nerves as he went over the files one by one.

There had to be a connection to all of these deaths.

_Anything..._

He fiddled with one report and as soon as he read the first paragraph, he threw it into the pile with a growl. He gritted his teeth as his fingers itched to destroy it, but he stopped himself. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temple as he counted from one to ten.

Why couldn’t they just leave them alone?

It had been 2 years since Finral returned and the death tolls from other noble families had risen to an alarming rate. Numerous people (and still counting) had died from different causes, although none of which were repeated frequently. Some of the causes were natural, others were gruesome, some were subtle and unobtrusive, but majority were unexplainable.

Even now, they haven’t caught who was doing this, but a majority of people were pointing their fingers at House Vaude.

The eldest, _Finral Vaude_ , was to blame.

For some foolish reason, they thought that Finral ending up in the grimoire tower 2 years ago was solid evidence to name him the mastermind to this whole fiasco. Witless citizens tried to foist the blame on their family. Some were hoping to get back at them for personal reasons. Ledior had enough and called out the fools and pointed out facts about Finral not leaving the mansion for obvious reasons.

_“Death comes to those that deserved it.”_

_“He must be cursed!”_

_“Don’t be fooled by his looks!”_

It got so out of hand that even the Wizard King threatened to cause a scene if the people didn’t stop their accusations.

No evidence supported Finral was the murderer.

 _“Idiots,”_ Langris thought. _“What would he even gain from killing them?”_

He sighed and trailed his long fingers over the reports on the table. The gentle breeze opened up one of the files and Langris grumbled in annoyance when he saw violent pictures of the evidence. He closed the file and placed an ink jar over it. He palmed his face and took a deep breath before he picked up another file.

Most of the dead were crucial to Clover’s success.

They were crucial to the military, politics, justice, finance, and other occupations that helped Clover remain on its feet. There was no distinction between nobles, commoners, and peasants as it wasn’t their high social standing that got them killed, but their necessity.

Langris went over another pile of reports.

They were less important than the others because they were files of criminals, those that _deserved_ death like murderers, thieves, swindlers, rapists, and kidnappers. The only reason he took them from the archives was because there was an unnecessarily huge amount of deaths. He wondered if it was good or not that this mystery killer was cleaning up the streets.

Then he thought about Finral, who was angelic and innocent.

“The Angel of Death,” Langris whispered.

Those rumors started surfacing not even a year into Finral’s return. It had been a stupid title, but when one of their housemaids mysteriously died, that got Ledior and Liliane into believing the rumors. That was the reason why they mostly leave Finral alone. They didn’t want to associate with him or add more to the rumors people were sprouting about.

 _“Still stupid,”_ He thought.

Langris remembered the time when he found out Finral was alive and in the custody of the Wizard King.

His father had flown out of the door after one of the Magic Knights had confirmed it. He could still remember his mother embracing him while she spoke to the Knights. Deep down, Langris had been eager to see Finral and wanted to fly out the door with his father. For several years, guilt had invaded his dreams. He shouldn’t have left Finral alone during their game.

If he hadn’t, whoever had attempted to kidnap his brother would’ve lost a limb.

Even at that age, Langris wasn’t someone that should be messed with.

When he had found out Finral had no memory about the last 7 years, he was somewhat relieved. He was afraid that he would find his brother beyond redemption and that there would be nothing left to salvage.

Instead, he had been given an opportunity to reconcile with him. Langris made more of an effort to _be_ a good brother, mostly to still his conscience, but it later progressed to brotherly affection. He realized that being without a sibling was worse than having one. It also occurred to him that he enjoyed having Finral around; he was just too stubborn to admit it.

That’s why all these rumors annoyed him.

Apparently, Langris was the only one in Finral’s life who _wasn’t_ afraid of him.

 _“Don’t worry, Brother.”_ He thought. _“I’ll clear your name.”_

After an hour of reading through the reports and finding no dent in his research, Langris shut down. He closed his eyes and palmed his face. _“This is useless.”_ Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from the archways. He spread out his senses and felt the familiar mana coming towards him. He let out a frustrated sigh when he knew there was no escaping it.

He heard shuffling and a cheery voice called.

“Langris! You’re back!”

He watched as Finral took a seat opposite him and grinned. Langris smiled, because Finral was still jovial as ever and it seemed as if nothing could get his spirits down. Oh well, at least one of them was happy, that was fine with Langris.

“Something good happen?” He asked. “You’re unusually bright.”

Finral shrugged, “Father’s not yelling at anyone. So today is a good day. Enough about me; what are you doing here so soon? I thought you would drop by tomorrow.”

“Couldn’t concentrate,” Langris grumbled. “I have a bunch of work lined up.”

“You’re just a year in and they’re already working you into the ground.”

“It’s not like anyone else would do this.” Langris huffed, feeling slightly annoyed by the amount of work. “But I’d rather get stuck doing _this_ than do _menial_ tasks. At least this way, I can get promoted easier and faster. If I solve this case, I’ll get a lot of merits to my name. Even if I don’t, just investigating it will give me something.”

“May I see?”

“Go for it.”

Finral picked up the document and scowled.

Langris laughed at his disgusted expression. “Not your cup of tea?” He asked as he pulled the file out of Finral’s hand and placed it back on the table. “Three separate incidents, different types of deaths, and no connections between them. It happened two weeks ago on the same night.”

“Do you need any help?”

“Do you _want_ to?”

“I can look at disgusting pictures and give input.” Finral huffed at his brother’s lack of faith. “Besides, I have something I wanted to speak to you about and the sooner this is done the better.”

“Actually,” Langris hesitated. “Perhaps we should start with yours first.”

“No, this first.” He grumbled. “Mine is more exciting anyways.”

Langris rolled his eyes, because sometimes Finral was infuriating but he was good like that. He pulled three separate folders from the pile and placed each one in front of Finral, who tilted his head in confusion. Langris snorted, because this might overwhelm his brother since he _wasn’t_ used to work like he was.

“What was the other file then?” Finral wondered.

“That’s the compilation of _presumed_ evidence of a connection.” Langris said. “But ignore that. Some idiot with no brain did that.” He pointed at the three in front of his brother. “ _These_ are the separate incidents in full detail.”

Finral picked one up, “Lord Edon of House Willmont.” 

* * *

**oOo**

_“Please! I’ll do anything!” Lord Edon cried out as crawled through the ground. “Please! Money! I’ll give you the money! Please don’t hurt me!”_

_The shadow figure pointed above._

_Lord Edon looked up at the ceiling and saw his expensive chandelier. He barely registered the twitch of the shadow figure’s fingers as the chandelier snapped from its place. It fell right on top of him and crushed him._

_There was broken glass everywhere._

_Blood pooled on the floor, sinking into the floorboards. Lord Edon’s body twitched from postmortem spasms. Job done. The shadow figure moved away to make his escape when something fell on the floor and a scream followed after._

_It was the handmaiden._

_She quickly scampered off, yelling for help._

_The shadow figure gritted his teeth. No choice. He ported in front of her and drove a dagger into her chest. He was careful not to touch her. She tensed as blood trickled down her mouth. Tears fell from her eyes as they rolled to the back of her head._

_Slowly, she slid to the ground as the shadow figure pulled the dagger._

_He eyed it as it blood dripped from the tips. He knelt down, careful not to get himself dirty. Blood continued to seep from the open wound, painting her dress red. It wouldn’t hurt to soil it further. He wiped the dagger over her dress._

_When it cleared enough to be stored, he hid it beneath his sleeves and disappeared._

* * *

**oOo**

“They would’ve ruled it out as an accident,” Langris mumbled as he fiddled with his pen. “But the handmaiden was stabbed. There wasn’t even a knife in the scene. So someone must’ve gotten in, killed Lord Edon and then stabbed the handmaiden because she was a witness.”

“Is that it?” Finral asked.

“Now you see what I’m working with.” He huffed in annoyance. “Lord Edon was supposed to have a meeting with Clover’s financial advisors regarding some feudal land dispute in the Common Realm.”

“So you think he was killed for that?”

“Maybe.”

Finral blinked, placing the file down. “What’s wrong, Langris?”

“A lot of things, actually.”

“Tell me.”

“It’s fishy.” Langris glared, tapping at the file. “If this was just a personal dispute, they _would’ve_ hired thugs. Not a serial killer. There wasn’t any evidence of a break-in. People are stupid enough to _make_ mistakes. But _this_ killer didn’t leave any. He perfectly executed Lord Edon to make it seem like an accident. His only demise was that the handmaiden was a witness and it was necessary for him to kill her.”

“That’s true.” Finral mumbled. “Not only that, but nothing was stolen.”

Langris blinked at the realization.

It was just a yarn of evidence, but he couldn’t let it go. If he could _solve_ the mystery, then he’d clear up Finral’s name and their house from the accusations. He immediately pulled up a paper and started writing down the information.

Finral watched him, tilting his head at the long paragraph Langris was writing. He squinted, trying to read his brother’s beautiful penmanship. He gave up when Langris continued to write like it was a novel.

Instead, he picked up the second folder.

“Lord Garus and Lady Hilde.”

* * *

**oOo**

_The window was open, sending in a light breeze from the cold evening._

_The shadow figure crept through the dimly lit hall and peeked through the slightly open door of Lord Garus’ study. He was humming a beautiful tune while he wrote down some of his work. The figure lifted a finger and manipulated the space around the knife he found in the kitchen and let it hover beside him._

_He twisted his fingers and the knife followed._

_Swiftly and quietly, he ported behind Lord Garus and let the knife drift to his neck. Lord Garus was old. He didn’t sense the attack. The knife cut through his throat, spurting blood all over the desk and his work. He had no chance as he slumped from his seat, eyes wide and mouth agape._

_The figure ported to Lord Garus’ room and planted the knife on the clean bedsheet. He waited for the wife to come upstairs._

_It didn’t take very long._

_Lady Hilde immediately noticed the knife on the bed. It was covered in blood, but she didn’t know that. “Reinald, darling?” She called for her husband. “Is this yours?” In her own stupidity and curiosity, she touched the knife and lifted it._

_The figure hidden in the shadows manipulated the space around her hand._

_Lady Hilde gasped when she couldn’t release the knife._

_She started panicking and screaming when it slowly pointed at her. She yelled and tried to get her other hand to stop it, but she wasn’t strong enough. It dove into her chest and pulled out. It dove back in and continued several more times before she collapsed to the ground and blood pooled into the carpet._

_The knife was left in her chest and the figure was gone._

* * *

**oOo**

“Well?” Langris asked. “What do you think?”

Finral looked up from the file and saw his little brother looking bored. He was leaning on his elbow, waiting for an answer. Finral grimaced and closed the folder before handing it over to Langris. He nibbled the bottom of his lips and tapped his chin.

“Lady Hilde killed her husband.”

“That’s what the evidence said.” Langris huffed. “What do _you_ think?”

“Lord Garus didn’t struggle.” Finral pointed out. “If it was the wife, then he would’ve seen her come from the door. Even if she hid the knife and went behind him, there should’ve been some form of struggle.”

“Exactly!”

“Do they have children?”

“No.” Langris scowled. “Lady Hilde was sterile. And before you ask about the household staff, it wasn’t any of them. They found them dead the next morning.”

“Oh.” Finral blinked. “What’s on _your_ mind?”

“I don’t think it was Lady Hilde.” Langris leaned back and crossed his arms. “Lord Garus and Lady Hilde were known for their disgustingly _sweet_ relationship. Lady Hilde was a commoner that Lord Garus fell in love with and took to wife. He’s rich, and she’s not.”

“So you’re saying she killed him to inherit the money?”

“That would’ve been the case if she wasn’t dead.”

Finral scowled, “Strange.”

“Not really.” He grumbled. “There were rumors going around that Lady Hilde found out Lord Garus was having an affair. Basically, the entire investigation is pointing at her. In her jealousy, she killed Lord Garus and then killed herself out of grief.”

“But you don’t think that.”

“No. I think it was set up to look that way.”

Finral asked, “How so?”

“They were supposed to join a social event to help fund some of our military forces. They’ve always been active supporters for the Magic Knights since they were rescued from a house fire years ago.”

“And you’re saying?”

Langris growled, “I’m saying that it doesn’t feel right.”

“You’re probably thinking too much.” Finral frowned, clearly unhappy that his brother was getting worked up over trivial matters. It had only been a year since he got his grimoire too. “Isn’t this a little farfetched, Langris? How is this story connected to the killer everyone is talking about?”

“Captain Vangeance thinks it is and I trust his judgement.”

Finral tilted his head when Langris looked away. He wondered why Langris wouldn’t look at him. Finral sighed, then lifted his hand and tugged at Langris’ hair to get his attention. Langris jumped and slapped his hand away in annoyance. Finral chuckled when he saw the faint blush on his little brother’s cheeks.

“No need to get so worked up.” Finral said. “Relax a little.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“I’ll indulge you a bit more.” He winked and picked up a folder. “Is this the last one?”

“Yes.” Langris nodded. “Lady Maragrave.”

* * *

**oOo**

_A pompous, voluptuous baroness flipped her silky blonde hair and pursed her lips in an attempt to seduce. It wasn’t working, because her three lackeys were far too busy unloading the carriage to give a damn about her._

_“Careful,” Lady Maragrave growled. “That’s expensive.”_

_“It’s just a vase.”_

_“I’ll shove your head in that vase if you break it.” She hissed, fanning herself. “Bring them into the treasury. Quickly now! We didn’t steal all of these riches for you to break them in an instant.”_

_The three men rolled their eyes._

_Focused on their task to deliver the illegally gained treasures, they didn’t notice the figure watching them from the trees. After the carriage was unloaded, the three lackeys waited by the entrance. Lady Maragrave snickered as she gave them a huge bag of coins each._

_“Have fun, boys.”_

_She let them spend their time in her bar to celebrate their successful thievery._

_While the boys enjoyed themselves, Lady Maragrave gestured to one of the handmaidens. “You there! Resita?” The girl looked relieved to get away from the men. “Run me a bath, dear. Quickly now.” The girl wasted no time and ran up the stairs._

_“Peasants.” Lady Maragrave chuckled, swinging her hips as she followed after._

_She didn’t notice the figure by the door, watching her. Once she was in her expensive bathroom, she laughed and poured herself some wine like a queen. She took off her robes and settled herself in the warm water. She closed her eyes and hummed in delight._

_A few minutes later, she heard a crash from below._

_“Boys,” She snickered. “Drunk already.”_

_Suddenly, there was screaming involved and she could hear glasses flying and breaking. She snorted. The men were getting handsy with the handmaidens again, that was fine. Those peasants wouldn’t talk anyway, not after they get their romp on the sheets._

_Out of nowhere, her wine glass broke._

_“What in the—?”_

_The mana around her was manipulated and she found herself pushed into the water. She tried to escape but she was out of her element. She couldn’t use fire underwater. She tried to push, but there was a barrier keeping the water in place. She struggled, but she finally lost the air in her lungs and started to drown._

_She thrashed around, but it was no use, she couldn’t get out._

_Lady Maragrave drowned._

_The mana disappeared and so did the figure._

* * *

**oOo**

“I think that one spoke for itself.” Langris grumbled, still annoyed that he couldn’t pin the connection down. “Apparently, she killed her husband for the estate and made it look like an accident. After her name was cleared, she hired thugs to do the dirty work and steal for her because her dead husband’s money wasn’t enough.”

“And this is connected to the killer because…?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Langris.”

He rolled his eyes as he started piling up the folders together. Why couldn’t Finral let it go? Langris sighed as he slammed the folders down on the table. He stared at his brother, who looked really confused and concerned about him.

“I’m fine.”

“No you’re not.” Finral shook his head. “Talk to me.”

“How did Lady Maragrave die?” Langris questioned, raising an eyebrow at his brother. “Tell me. They checked her body. It wasn’t a heart attack and it wasn’t any of her thugs. She _drowned_ in her own bathtub. So, who did it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Fine, who killed the three lackeys including all the handmaidens in her house?”

“Langris,” Finral teared up. “I don’t know the answers.”

Seeing his older brother panic at his sudden burst of questions, Langris frowned and stopped what he was doing. “I’m sorry.” He apologized and turned away. He knew Finral didn’t grow up having to deal with these types of situations.

He felt bad.

“I got carried away.” Langris admitted. “I just… I just want to solve this.”

“I know, but you don’t have to solve it alone.”

“I get that,” He narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. “But… _you_ don’t get it, Brother. It’s not just because I want to solve it and get merits to gain a promotion. It’s not that. All these _idiots_ think it’s _you_ and I’m sick and tired of it!”

Finral scrunched his nose. “People are horrible.”

“These people are accusing you of murder and that’s it?” Langris glared. “People are horrible?”

“What do you want me to say?” Finral pouted. “It’s not like I can control what they think.”

“Be careful.” He advised. “Someone is certainly out to get you.”

“I’m sure someone is.”

Langris ignored that weird statement and turned back to his work. He brushed his hair aside and closed his eyes. He shouldn’t get too overworked with this. He slammed his hand on the table, startling his older brother. He would’ve laughed if he wasn’t so pissed. He leaned back and crossed his arms, looking slightly apologetic for his behavior.

“What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Oh,” Finral blinked. “That.”

“What is it?”

“Maybe now isn’t a good time.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re mad.” Finral mumbled. “Maybe when you’re in a better mood.”

“Tell me before I wring your neck.”

“You’re mean.”

“Brother.”

Langris could tell that Finral was nervous and shifting on his seat. His older brother had always been shy and quiet. That never really changed over the years. Langris’ face softened, because Finral really did look bothered about what he planned to say.

“Tell me.” Langris encouraged. “I’m not mad.”

Finral nibbled the bottom of his lips and looked up. “I want to join the Magic Knights.” He declared as he closed his eyes, waiting for Langris’ outburst. There wasn’t any. Finral opened his eyes and relaxed when he saw Langris’ expression.

“That’s it?”

“You’re not mad?”

“What do you think?” Langris glared. “I tell you to be careful and now you want to deliberately put yourself in danger! As if the death threats weren’t enough for you! Can you even handle being on the battle field?!”

“I thought you said you weren’t mad!”

“I am now!”

“You don’t think I can handle it.” Finral’s eyes watered at Langris’ lack of confidence in his abilities. “Just because you got into the Golden Dawn doesn’t mean I can’t get a squad. I’m seventeen. I don’t want to stay cooped up here all the time. I should be allowed to join.”

“You _know_ why you weren’t allowed to join after you returned!”

Finral whined, “I don’t want to die pathetic.”

Langris rolled his eyes, “Drama queen.”

“You’re mean, Langris.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Is it true?” Finral’s voice softened. “Do you think I’m not good enough?”

Langris grit his teeth and glared. “I’m not saying that.” He paused and stared at his brother. What would he say to dissuade him from joining? “Fine, try it.” He gave in, unable to discourage him. “Maybe they’ll pity you and find your mobility useful. Knights always need to transport something, and there’s too few Spatial Mages on the field… now that I think about it, there’s practically none on the field.”

Finral pouted, “You really are mean.”

“I’m stating facts.” He shrugged as he fiddled with his hair. “Why don’t you ask Father? I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear that you plan to leave the house. All the rumors are starting to get to him and he’s about ready to tear his own hair off.”

“What do you think of me using that nickname?”

Langris glared, “I dare you.”

“Why not?”

“Angel of Death?” He scoffed, leaning forward to tug at Finral’s hair. “You may look like an angel, but you’re definitely _not_ a killer! Are you trying to spread more rumors around?! You can’t even slice anything with your portals no matter how hard you try! So give it up, Brother.”

“Alright, I won’t use it then.”

Langris pulled away and grimaced.

Slowly, he counted from one to ten as he closed his eyes. He missed the smirk on Finral’s lips. Finral tilted his head, and turned away to look at the sky. Everything was going to plan. He just needed to gather more information and eliminate most of Clover’s military, and what better way to do that than to _join_ the military.

 _“I’m doing this for you.”_ Finral thought. _“I hope you forgive me when the time comes.”_

“Brother.” Langris called. “Are you really going to join the Magic Knights?”

Finral grinned, “What’s the harm in trying?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and tell me what you think~ Thank you!


	4. Magic Knights Entrance Exam

Yami wished he was anywhere but in Kikka.

From the shadows, he grumbled in annoyance as he looked down at the candidates inside the coliseum. He made his expression as vacant as possible. _“This again?”_ He closed his eyes and counted the years he had been a Captain. In just 2 years he recruited Henry, Vanessa, Gordon, Charmy, and Grey all in that order without needing to filter through this useless test.

He didn’t need anyone here.

With little enthusiasm, Yami made his displeasure known with a grunt. He kept his disinterest for a while until he noticed some of the candidates begin to whisper among each other. With Yami’s trained ears and Ki sensing abilities, he was able to hear their conversation.

“Is that really him?”

“It’s the Angel of Death.”

“Don’t look at him, you’ll die.”

“But he looks so innocent.”

Yami narrowed his eyes and saw the ostracized figure in the middle of the crowd. Word had spread fast and the rest of the candidates moved away. It made it easier for Yami to spot the poor individual. _Strange._ Yami narrowed his eyes and stared. The teen’s timid facial expression contradicted his Ki, which was calm and still as water.

“Yami,” Vangeance called. “I’m surprised to see you so early.”

Fuegoleon asked, “Scouting the candidates already?”

“I’m feeling a little lucky.” Yami grinned as he blew smoke from his cigarette. “You scared I’ll steal the good one this year?”

Vangeance chuckled, “Be our guest.”

“Surely there will be plenty this year.” Fuegoleon chuckled as he watched the anti-birds flock to several candidates. He took a step forward from the shadows and scowled when he saw a lone figure in the middle of the crowd. “Is that him, the eldest son of House Vaude?”

“It is.” Vangeance confirmed. “I’ve met him a few times. He ports Langris back to base after visiting his family. He’s quite fond of his younger sibling.”

“You mean your soon to be vice-captain?” Nozel scoffed as he joined them. “I’m surprised the eldest of House Vaude is joining the exam. For such a sheltered individual amidst horrid rumors, one would think he wouldn’t have the courage to join at all.”

Gueldre joined them, “What if the rumors are true?”

“You scared of the Angel of Death?” Yami snorted. “Careful, you’re probably next on his list.”

A small argument broke out between the Captains that were present when Yami accused the others of being ignorant, fearful, and judgmental. Yami sure as hell hated judging someone based off rumors. He wanted to give this guy a fighting chance.

Finral’s reputation (based on rumors alone) were bad enough, there was definitely no need to add more to tip the scale further down the rabbit hole.

Besides, if this kid was on the streets, Yami would’ve probably already recruited him.

When the argument died down and the fireworks signaled the beginning of the exam, the Captains made their way to their respected seats. It was then that Vanessa crept her way to Yami’s side like a cat. She ignored the rude stares given to her by the other Knights next to their Captains when she sat on the armrest of Yami’s seat.

She leaned over and asked, “Anyone interesting this year?”

Yami grinned, “There’s one.”

“Which one?”

“He’s not hard to find.” He gestured over to the teen hiding in the corner by the pillar. “What do you think?”

Vanessa leaned forward and tipped her hat up to look. She saw the lone figure, abandoned by everyone else in the crowd, shift nervously on his feet. He seemed pretty normal, but if Yami thought there was something there, then there definitely was. Yami had the power to see into the person, not their backstory or whatever it was that normal people saw.

And it was already established that Yami wasn’t normal. He had never been interested in recruiting from the entrance exam, so Yami finding one candidate made a huge difference.

“Let’s see,” Vanessa listed. “Timid, shunned, and kind of cute…”

Yami raised an eyebrow, “That it?”

“What else do you want me to say, Captain?” She purred, tilting her hat to the side. “He’s an interesting kid, but what else do we know about him that’s not scratching the surface?”

“He’s Finral Vaude.” Yami stated. “A rare Spatial Magic user.”

Vanessa blinked, not sure if she heard Yami correctly.

She scowled and tapped her chin as she tried to recall the name. “He’s the one that went missing and mysteriously returned. Weren’t you part of that investigation?” Yami hummed. Vanessa slowly grinned, “That’s really interesting. I wonder how good he really is.”

Yami scoffed, “We’ll see.

* * *

**oOo**

The exam went on like every other exam each year.

The first test was to _fly on a broom._

It was a way to test mages and their control of their magical powers. Finral was able to do this with ease as he flew higher than the coliseum. That seemed to impress the Captains and everyone else. So far, there were good candidates that were able to match the nobility in the crowd.

The next test was the _Magical Ability Exam._

It was a way to see what kind of magical abilities a mage has. There were four obvious elements: _Fire, Water, Air, and Earth;_ from those four elements branched combinations of different kinds of magical abilities. Then there were magic users with rare abilities like: _Spatial, Light, Dark, and Time._

The candidates were given a wall to test their magic on.

Everyone tried to destroy the wall by showing off their magic ability, but Finral didn’t follow everyone else. No one said they _had_ to destroy it. So he used his Spatial Magic and went through it, instead. That got everyone whispering, but Finral was pretty confident in what he was doing.

“He’s really something.” Vanessa murmured.

Yami chuckled, “Tell me about it.”

The next test was the _Magical Ability Control Exam._

It was to gauge a mage’s ability in accuracy and speed when it came to using their magic. The candidates had to lock onto the target drawn over a flying piece of paper. The more targets you hit, the better your chances were at becoming a Magic Knight. It wasn’t easy. Many of the candidates were stumbling over each other and one of them nearly hit the Captains.

Yami crossed his arms, _“What are you going to do this time?”_

Finral looked around and tilted his head.

He took a deep breath and started waving his hands in a graceful motion. Whenever one of the candidates attack missed, Finral opened a portal and redirected it his targets. Some of the candidates were annoyed and called Finral out for cheating, but no one said that wasn’t allowed. This was a test on abilities and how well you used your magic to hit the target, it never said you couldn’t get any help.

Vangeance chuckled, “He’s full of loopholes, isn’t he?”

“It’s not bad.” Fuegoleon said. “He definitely has this exam covered.”

“That still doesn’t make him qualified.” Nozel voiced. “He may have side stepped some of the points of the exam, but so far, he has shown nothing impressive. Perhaps in combat, we’ll see how well he does.”

The next test was the _Creation Magic Exam._

This was to study how far the mages could manipulate their magic and create something new. Only few of the candidates were able to manipulate their magic and bring extravagant tools and objects into existence. What surprised them was Finral’s inability to do this. In the middle of his hands was a floating blob of Spatial Magic, no form or identity, just a simple portal.

Vanessa pouted. “He was doing so well, too.”

“I’m not sure.” Yami scowled. “Something’s not adding up.”

“What is it?”

“Think about it,” He listed. “Kid has good mana for a noble. He’s smart and thinks outside the box. You’ve seen his accuracy and speed. He’s been doing well so far, but the the thing that stumps him is creation magic?”

Vanessa mumbled, “That _is_ a little odd.”

Yami shook his head. “Forget it, must be a fluke or something. _”_ He narrowed his eyes at Finral. Something was off about him from the very beginning, now he was sure of it. Anyone could create anything, even if it was small or unrefined. That was the whole point of creation magic, was to manipulate your mana to make something from your own magic.

It was impossible that he couldn’t do it.

Finral dropped his attempt and waited things out. He looked nervous, but his Ki continued to contradict him. Yami grimaced and leaned back.

_What was with this kid?_

The next test was the _Developmental Magic Exam._

Each individual was given a seed where they would manipulate their flow of mana with nature to guide the seed into blooming. Some of the candidates destroyed their seeds the moment they poured their mana inside. Others were able to make the seed bloom, but poured too much mana that it wilted.

Finral took a deep breath and poured mana onto the seed.

“There we go,” Vanessa cheered.

It bloomed and remained that way until the Captains called an end to the exam.

No one but Yami saw the plant from the seed wilt as Finral later crushed it with his hand and dusted it off his palm. Yami’s eyes glazed as he warily tilted his head. _Weird._ That was definitely not an accident. From Finral’s Ki alone, Yami knew it was deliberately done.

_But why?_

“Candidates!” Charlotte called. “May I have your attention?”

Yami snapped from his thoughts.

The candidates lined up and stared at the Blue Rose Captain. She took a step forward and waited for everyone to settle down.

“This next exam shall be the last.” She voiced. “You will be paired together and will engage in actual combat with your partner. You may use your grimoire as you see fit. Fighting and protecting the citizens of Clover is our duty. Show us what you are capable of and we will decide if you are worthy of being called a Magic Knight.”

Vangeance stood, “The exam will be over should one of you yield or be unable to fight.”

“Healing mages are on standby should any of you become injured.” Charlotte continued. “So feel free to fight to your heart’s content.”

“This is going to be good.” Vanessa giggled as she almost draped herself over Yami. “Isn’t that right, Captain?” She said as she trailed a finger over his shoulder. “We get to see people be violent against one another.”

“I don’t get why you’re excited.” Yami deadpanned. “It’s the same thing every year.”

“True.” She winked. “But we have someone interesting today.”

He chuckled, “You’re not wrong.”

* * *

**oOo**

The Captains gave the candidates time to find their partners.

Yami watched as Finral couldn’t find himself an opponent. No one wanted to play with someone who was dubbed _“The Angel of Death.”_ But one individual was cocky enough to approach him. He was one of the low class nobles who thought so highly of themselves.

“Sablen of House Arric.” He introduced. “You must be Finral Vaude.”

Finral blinked, “I am, is there anything I could do for you?”

“There _is_ something.” Sablen grinned. “Would you do the honors and be my opponent for this last exam? I’ve heard many things about you and your house. And your title is… something. Shall we take the stage?”

“I guess.” Finral dolefully answered. “Right now?”

“Why not?”

Sablen took the lead as he waited for Finral to follow him. Finral was hesitant when he heard so many people whispering about them. Majority whispered how Sablen’s foolishness was going to get him killed. Finral ignored them as he smiled politely and took center stage.

The Captains were very well aware who Finral was.

Vanessa leaned forward from her spot on the armrest while Yami narrowed his eyes. There’s no mistaking it now. Finral’s face may look a little scared, but his Ki was calm and prepared. Something was definitely wrong with him.

The mage proctoring the exam swiped his hand down.

“Begin!”

Finral gasped when Sablen quickly struck.

“Flame Magic: Fire Strike.”

He barely dodged the attack as it hit one of the pillars. Sablen sent out several more strikes in different directions, to which Finral kept dodging by using his Spatial Magic Portals. His maneuverability was impressive, but so far, his performance was below average for a noble of his status. For someone who was feared by society and dubbed _“The Angel of Death”_ , he sure as hell didn’t seem the part.

Vanessa gasped, “He’s doing surprisingly well.”

“He’s not bad,” Yami narrowed his eyes. “But that’s the least of our concerns.”

“What do you mean?”

“Can’t put a finger on it.” He huffed. “I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”

Vanessa shrugged and turned her attention back to the fight. Yami scowled and crossed his arms as he watched Finral nearly get singed. Again, his facial expressions were contradicting his Ki. No one else noticed, but Yami saw a flicker in those purple eyes; something cold and calculating, as if he already knew what to do and was just playing Sablen like a predator amuses himself with his prey.

When Sablen struck again, Finral’s fingers twitched.

Sablen tripped.

Finral opened a portal to catch the flame attack and sent it straight back to Sablen. It wasn’t graceful, but it got the job done. The fight was over and the healing mages were attending Sablen, who was scorched by his own attack.

The people started whispering, calling him by his given name _“The Angel of Death.”_

Yami was slightly pissed, because no one but him saw what Finral did. It was too fast and deliberate, but it wasn’t completely undetectable. Not from his Ki sensing abilities. Finral had manipulated the space around Sablen’s leg, making it _look_ like he tripped.

“So, Captain.” Vanessa grinned, “What do you think?”

Yami grimly voiced, “He’s a mystery, alright.”

Vanessa shook her head and stared at the Captains, whose expressions were veiled and pensive. Vanessa always considered herself a good reader of character. She hummed in disapproval as she leaned back to whisper to Yami.

“Seems like no one is going to bite.”

“It’s obvious why.”

“Care to share, Captain?”

Yami rolled his eyes as the words rolled from his mouth. “They want assurance that a candidate is better than the rest. If they just see you as common as a rat, they’re never gonna bite. Kid has raw talent, but he ain’t special. Not in their eyes.”

Vanessa smiled, “But you see something.”

Yami grunted to which Vanessa just chuckled. Yami sighed and tried to get his attention back into the next fight. His Captain friends disliked the unknown. They didn’t want uncertainties and liabilities. They only want what’s best for their squad.

Too bad Yami wasn’t like that.

He _knew_ Finral was holding back.

Yami remembered the mystery surrounding Finral’s disappearance and return.

Back when he was still a Magic Knight for the Grey Deer, he remembered poking into the investigation for the fun of it. Then 2 years ago, Finral just showed up out of nowhere inside a grimoire tower with no memories. That was never normal. Yami and Julius had theories from way back and he sure as hell remembered Julius’ comments about spies inside the military.

Yami knew it didn’t take much to convert a Magic Knight into betraying his own country.

Finral was still a mystery, and although he posed no threat, he was still part of the investigation. There was no way he came back to Clover for nothing. And that investigation wasn’t over, not yet, not until they solved the how and why.

He knew what he saw when Finral fought.

That wasn’t a fluke.

Yami grimaced, _“Who the hell are you?”_

Suddenly Vanessa clicked her tongue and grunted in annoyance. “Some people are just infuriating.” Yami turned to her and followed her eyes. He saw Finral being poked and ridiculed by the other nobles who had been afraid of him earlier. It was because of his poor performance that most of the fear had dissipated.

Everyone would believe anything; rumors included.

Yami really wanted to punch someone’s face. He saw one of the nobles lean close to Finral and whispered something in his ear. Yami noticed something was off about the way Finral was standing very still and tense.

His purple eyes flickered again, and another twitch of his fingers.

But nothing happened.

It was so miniscule that it passed off as mannerism, but Yami knew it wasn’t.

 _“He’s holding back again.”_ Yami thought. _“Kid ain’t got anything to lose, yet he’s letting them do what they want. He could’ve easily tripped them the same way he did that other guy, but he doesn’t have the advantage of a distraction to do it.”_ He snorted, having figured him out. _“Clever.”_

There was another exchange of dialogue and one of them tugged Finral’s hair and the other lightly pushed him. Finral remained calm, muttering something. The other candidates laughed as they realized Finral wasn’t worth their time.

They left him alone.

Yami looked away and tried to feign disinterest. It bothered him, that thing he saw. That was no ordinary twitch. That was a twitch from someone who _knew_ what they were doing, someone with enough experience to hold themselves back from a petty fight.

He sighed, _“Things just keep getting interesting.”_

* * *

**oOo**

The exam continued until dusk, and then the announcing of the approval and rejection of candidates began right after. After a hundred candidates later, Finral’s number came up and everyone in the crowd held their breath. Judgement would come for the _Angel of Death._

“For the Captains who wish to offer, please raise your hand!”

Silence.

Three hands went up.

Vanessa snickered, because apparently she was wrong.

Yami had competition, how cute. She sent a careful glare at the Purple Orca’s Captain. It seemed like someone didn’t take well to challenges and only raised their hand because he didn’t want to be called a _“boneless ham”._ Then she turned her attention to the Praying Mantis’ Captain, who looked like he just wanted to play deity and prove the rumors wrong.

“Please choose which brigade you will join.”

Another moment of silence.

Yami saw something flicker in those purple eyes.

Then Finral’s Ki flared up like it was just a game to him.

Something twisted in Yami’s gut. Part of him was starting to think the rumors to badmouth and ruin people’s reputation had some truth in them. Yami knew Finral was no ordinary kid. His innocence was questionable, and neither was it real or fake. There was an in-between that Yami couldn’t understand, but was willing to get to the bottom of.

Finral just had to choose.

“The Black Bulls,” He spoke up. “If it’s… alright.”

Yami stared at him and their eyes met. Again, something twisted in Yami and made him uncomfortable. Something in those eyes spelled trouble. Finral broke the gaze first and went back to his spot in the corner as another candidate stepped up. Yami tried to figure out the several reasons Finral had chosen him as Captain.

1.) He probably knew Gueldre would only use him as transport.

2.) Noble families went for the best of the group. Jack as the Green Mantis Captain was known for taking in commoners. Even if he disappeared for most of his childhood, Finral was raised noble. That was an easy choice to not pick the Green Mantis.

3.) Finral probably heard about the Black Bulls reputation. _He_ had a reputation of his own and he most likely thought he would be able to fit in with the rest of them. That was stretch, but not too far that it wouldn’t be the real reason.

4.) Maybe he really was naïve.

Anyways, Yami had many more reasons and it was flying all over his head; too many to name and too much of a hassle to keep thinking of. He drifted from the confusion and paid attention to the conversation on his right. The Captains seem to be just as confused as Yami as to why he was the one who was chosen.

Nozel huffed, clearly irritated. “He’s your soon to be vice-captain’s older brother. Why didn’t you raise your hand?”

“For the same reason you didn’t.” Vangeance smoothly said. “I don’t see him as a Magic Knight. Maneuverability aside, he doesn’t seem to have the passion or the potential to be one.”

“Gueldre raised his hand.” Charlotte declared.

“He just wants an errand boy!” Jack chuckled, clicking his tongue. “If he picked me, I’d show him what death feels like! No noble kid is going to lounge around my turf. Too bad he picked Yami. You just wanted a collection of weirdos.”

Yami snorted, “If that was the case, you’d be in it.”

The other Captains snickered at the implication, but it didn’t distract Yami from his overthinking mind. He felt like he made the right and wrong choice when he raised his hand to recruit Finral. He trusted his gut, but it went two ways this time.

_Oh well..._

There was plenty of time to get to know Finral.

Yami would be able to see his file and dig into his backstory, but Yami never really pried into his squad members’ life unless they openly shared it. He wasn’t really into the whole judging thing. He knew the basics, but their life was for them to give out not _forced_ out.

He wasn’t about to do that to Finral.

Even if Finral felt wrong.

“Captain?” Vanessa tapped his shoulder. “Mind telling me the _real_ reason you raised your hand?”

“Beats me.” Yami shrugged. “I’m impulsive that way.”

She laughed, “From the Captains’ arguments, that wasn’t nothing. He may be the boy from your investigations, but I heard rumors from small places, especially the underground markets. Finral Vaude is the boy with the angelic face, but had a presence that sparked fear.”

“Your point?”

“Do you think the rumors are true?”

Once more, before answering, Yami looked at Finral, who was searching the crowd. _Weird._ There was that same twitch of his fingers. Definitely not mannerism… still deliberate… something that calmed him down, maybe? Or was it an itch? Yami saw Finral’s eye narrow for a moment, before he looked away.

He had locked onto someone.

But who?

Yami searched the crowd and eyed the same guy that whispered something into Finral’s ear earlier. _Huh._ Then he saw Finral staring again, but a little more openly. For a moment, his eyes moved to the guy that bullied him.

That was a look someone gave when they want to plot revenge.

“Captain?” Vanessa called.

 _“I wonder,”_ Yami thought, hoping his theory wasn’t true. If the guy Finral was eyeing died, then Yami had a case to investigate. If not, then Yami may owe Finral an apology. He turned to Vanessa, who was still staring at him.

“Whether I think it’s true or not doesn’t matter.” He sighed. “Finding out ain’t gonna be easy.”

Yami did love a challenge.

Besides, he and Julius had their theories. This one was difficult to solve, but that was part of the fun. Now he just had to set aside moral obligation as Finral’s new Captain and dig into Finral’s life… then again, it wasn’t that easy. He respected his squad members, so there had to be another way for Yami to figure out the truth without invading Finral’s life.

Vanessa chuckled.

“What?”

“This is going to be great!” She cheered. “We now have a Spatial Mage!”

Yami deadpanned, “You just want him to take you places.”

“Not entirely wrong!”

Yami snorted and turned his attention back to Finral. He grinned and thought, _“You chose the Black Bulls for a reason. Just wait until you get the horns. Let’s see how long you last.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and tell me what you think~ Thank you!


	5. Memories

“Please,” Finral tugged. “Just one game?”

“No.” Langris scowled. “We have lessons to go to.”

“Just one?”

Finral waited anxiously for an answer. He didn’t think Langris would agree. Nowadays, Langris was always busy with his studies. Finral thought one little game wouldn’t get them in trouble. He made his eyes big and pleading, hoping Langris would give in.

“Just one.” Langris finally said.

Finral’s face lit up as he tugged his little brother out of the door. Langris nearly tripped as Finral continued to pull him along. They nearly ran into one of the house maids.

“Sorry,” Finral apologized.

“Young masters!” She called. “It’s time for your lesson!”

“Just one game!” Finral replied. “Thank you!”

They ran down the stairs and through several hallways, evading most of the household staffs. Langris tried to keep up with Finral as they ran out of the door and into the garden. The sun beat down on them as they ran through the archway into another part of the garden.

“Father’s going to get mad at you again.”

“It’ll be fine.” Finral smiled. “Do you want to hide or be the seeker?”

“Does it matter?”

“Of course it does.”

Langris shrugged, “I’ll hide.”

Finral’s smile turned into a grin. “You hide anywhere you want to. I’ll start counting.” Finral turned to face the trunk of the tree. He closed his eyes and began to count. He heard shuffling from behind him and then silence. He finished counting and turned around to find himself alone.

“I’m ready!” He declared.

Quickly, he moved to the bushes and brushed the leaves aside. There was no one there. He moved to the gazebo and then to the pergola, but Langris wasn’t in any of them. “You’re really good at hiding, Brother.” He smiled as he looked some more.

He didn’t notice the figures lurking in the shadows.

Next thing he knew, smoke enveloped him and his vision darkened.

* * *

**oOo**

When Finral woke up, he was in a strange place with a couple of other children. There were guards watching them. Judging by their clothes, they didn’t look like they were from Clover. Finral tried to get on his feet, but the ground was shaking.

He tried to sense the mana around him, but it was overwhelmingly powerful.

Whatever they were in, it was moving.

“I can’t believe this!”

Finral flinched when one of the men hissed and there was a loud thump somewhere. There was cursing, an angry back and forth muffled argument, and then glass breaking. Finral, along with the other children, cowered to the dark corners of their cell.

“I don’t get why we need these brats.”

“Something about their _undeveloped skill…_ ”

“Undeveloped skill,” The man mocked. “Everyone has undeveloped skills; that’s nothing new.”

“I just don’t get why we have to travel to another country to steal children when we have enough to supply us with. Train them, put them on the army, and see if they survive or not. That’s pretty basic for every country out there.”

“King’s orders.”

“King’s orders,” He mocked. “Fuck this.”

Finral bit his lips when he heard the men discuss about the king’s need for rare or powerful magic whether it was undeveloped or not. Finral and the other children gasped when the whole cell shook. Some of the men cursed as well, claiming someone wasn’t a good driver.

They sneered, laughed, and mocked as they continued talking about kidnapping more children as if it was nothing new to them.

It made Finral’s mind spin in circles.

He thought the only reason he was qualified was because Spatial Magic was rare. He was useless for anything else. His father always said so. What could they possible use him for? Suddenly, one of the guards crept up to their cage.

“Consider yourselves lucky.” He sneered. “Not everyone gets chosen to be in the army.”

“That’s right.” Another one walked up to them. “You’re luckier than the ones below. They’re being used as fuel right now. Fancy thing, this mana vehicle, the _Candelo_... a strange fortress finally being put to good use to travel the Grand Magic Zones.”

“Yeah, those kids won’t last long though.”

“True, we’re still hours away from the capital.”

“Maybe we can toss in a few more.”

Finral didn’t dare look at them as they laughed. They walked away to check the other cells, but Finral could hear them brag about the difference in the way they treated their prisoners compared to the Diamond Kingdom.

One thing Finral learned in his studies was that Diamond wasn’t anything like Clover. It was one of the poorest of countries compared to the others. Finral scowled, if these people weren’t Diamond, they could certainly be Heart or Spade.

But something told Finral that they weren’t from the Heart Kingdom.

There was a loud bang across the hallway and there was a loud screaming, like a child being dragged. Finral closed his eyes and covered his ears. He was afraid he would be next. He tried to calm down and not panic, but it wasn’t working.

Then he thought, Langris…

Where was he?

Finral crawled to the front of the cage and tried to peek, but he couldn’t.

He tried to extend his mana to sense anything, mainly his little brother, but he couldn’t do it either. He hoped Langris was safe. He couldn’t remember anything after the strange smoke wrapped itself around him. Finral crawled to the rest of the children to ask them how they ended up like this, but they were just as afraid as he was.

After trying for a few times, he quickly gave up and stayed quiet.

He had fallen asleep and was awoken by a scream.

Children were being dragged and pushed out of their cells. Finral was afraid he was going to be fed as fuel for whatever it was that they said. When he was tugged along, he quickly obeyed so they wouldn’t hurt him.

It was a wise decision.

They were led out into the biting cold.

Finral embraced himself and watched his breath fog up. He looked up at the overwhelmingly giant castle. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen now as they were dragged inside by terrifying looking men.

What was going to happen now?

* * *

**oOo**

Once inside, Finral had met the rulers of Spade.

They were terrifying individuals.

Their unusual magic and mana were off the charts, but it was the king that Finral feared the most. He was playful in his words, but his tones were off. He was like a predator playing with his prey. He knew little details about the children that were taken. They were small details, but they were enough to keep one grounded and obedient.

From what Finral heard, Langris wasn’t taken with him.

They never had the opportunity to do it, and that made Finral glad. However there were still opportunities for Spade to do that. It was an effective threat that got Finral to do what they wanted against his will.

Finral trained, listened, and killed with great reluctance and force.

He obeyed and did other horrible things over the last 7 years that he would rather not recall; all for the sake of _self-preservation_ and _love_ for his little brother. It was a stretch to say it was because of love, but Finral didn’t want Langris to experience anything like he had.

He had seen things.

_Horrible things._

Finral saw how the Dark Triad ruled over the country with an iron fist. He saw how their magic evolved and how they utilized every resource they had. Finral saw the way they treated people and how they rewarded those who were loyal.

_Humans were evil._

He remembered their thoughts and beliefs.

Finral considered himself lucky to be treated kinder than the others, but not _that_ lucky to be treated the same as his generals, who were awarded far greater power. A _dark_ power Finral never wanted. He was extra baggage, a loose cannon, but the Dark Triad knew he was a valuable asset.

The moment Finral had been set free with his task…

He told himself that Spade was truly a demonic country.

* * *

**oOo**

“Snap out of it!”

Out of nowhere, Langris hit Finral straight on the face with a pillow. Finral tipped over and covered his face. “Ow!” Finral whined. “That hurt!” It would’ve been fine if Langris hadn’t used Reinforcement Magic to boost his swing. The sting from the hit nearly numbed his face.

“Why did you have to hit me?!”

“You’re going to be late!” Langris growled. “At least act like a Magic Knight for once!”

“It still hurts.”

“Continue packing.”

“I am.”

Langris rolled his eyes. “What’s wrong with you today?” He huffed as he placed the pillow on his lap and used it to rest his elbows on. “You’ve been doing this for a while now. What were you daydreaming about?”

“I can’t help it.”

“What? Being weird?”

“Langris,” Finral whined as he rubbed his nose. “I can’t help being distracted because everything’s changing too quickly. I don’t want to leave you so soon.”

“I’m old enough to be out on my own, thank you.” Langris said as he helped him pack his belongings. “Anyways, sorry I wasn’t able to see you during your exam. I don’t know if it was deliberate or not, but Captain Vangeance sent me by the border of Clover and Diamond to investigate something. I would’ve gone with you, but…”

“It’s fine, Langris.” Finral smiled. “I understand.”

“Are you sure you’re fine?”

“Honest, I am.”

“Doesn’t seem like it.” Langris raised an eyebrow. “Captain Vangeance had a hard time talking about it when I asked him how things went. I had to hear most of the exam from you.”

“It was _embarrassing_.” Finral flushed. “But I’m fine.”

“You got three Captains to raise their hands.” Langris grinned. “That’s not too bad.”

“Says the one that got five.”

“Of course.” He scoffed. “What’d you expect—!”

His words were interrupted when he got a face full of pillow. He was about to retaliate when he felt Finral straddle him and continued to hit him. Langris rolled them over and stole his weapon. He hit Finral exactly the same way.

It was a while before they stopped and stared at each other.

“Look at you!” Finral laughed. “All grown up!”

“This is stupid.” Langris moved away. “What are we? Children? We’re not here to make a mess, so hurry up so we can get going.”

The two of them went back to packing Finral’s belongings, but Finral had gone quiet. Langris scowled and nudged him. “Alright, I’m done playing. What’s wrong with you?” Finral nervously chuckled as he stashed an item in his bag.

“I’ll miss this.” Finral announced. “I’ll miss you.”

“It’s not like you’re going away again.” Langris mumbled. “We’re part of the military. We’ll see each other on occasion.”

“I know that. It just doesn’t make things any easier.”

“Just know,” Langris huffed. “Being a Magic Knight isn’t a game.”

“You’ve told me that numerous times.” Finral grinned. “I’ll be careful. I promise!”

“Good. I won’t be there to save you if you screw up.”

“I’m not that bad.” He pouted when Langris scoffed at him. Finral shook his head and looked around his room. “It’s strange. I’m not going to miss this place at all.”

“I didn’t.”

“You didn’t?”

“Of course not.” Langris admitted as he folded one of Finral’s shirts. “You disappeared, Mother and Father barely cared, and it’s a big house… this place was more like a shelter than a home. Mother and Father aside, on rare good moments, you make this place come alive.”

“Aww…”

Finral teared up and tackled Langris for a hug.

“Let’s not make this a habit.” Langris grimaced, but he returned the gesture. “Finish up, or else Mother will want us to stay for dinner.”

“I got it.” Finral chuckled.

While Langris was distracted, Finral’s face fell.

He couldn’t help but think back to his past. Being gone for 7 years had made a great difference in his life and he wondered what kind of person he would’ve been if he hadn’t been kidnapped. Would he and Langris still be this close?

Years of agony and childhood lost…

When Langris had found out he had been alive, he didn’t do or say anything, but Finral knew Langris had missed him. So many things had changed, and he had to catch up getting to know the little brother he fought so hard for. Finral had made a great effort to be part of Langris’ life and be the big brother Langris could talk to.

Fortunately, Langris had accepted it.

Although there were times that he was still difficult about it, but Finral loved him anyway. In the last 2 years they had been together, Finral could finally say that they were the brothers that he always dreamt they would be and that was enough to satisfy him.

If he had any regrets…

It would be that the fact that he continued to lie to the brother he loved.

Finral continued to feign the lost memories of the last 7 years and although he retained all of his smarts, which Langris was happy about, that still didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t the person people thought he was.

He truly deserved the title “Angel of Death”.

Langris was the only one in Finral’s life that hadn’t left him or was afraid of him. Langris found them all pathetic, their parents included. How could someone, _anyone_ , be afraid of Finral? He could never use his magic in combat.

It was foolish.

To Finral, as long as Langris didn’t figure it out, he would continue to lie through his teeth.

“Are you done?” Langris asked. “We should get going.”

“Are you sure you want to come along?”

“Yeah, why not?”

Finral paled. “The Black Bulls' base isn’t exactly like the Golden Dawn’s.”

Langris shrugged. “How bad could it be?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and tell me what you think~ Thank you!


	6. The Black Bulls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way longer to write than it should, but with the current new details we're getting in the manga... I thought it was a necessary hold. :3 And I changed the title to what it originally should have been~

Langris was surprised when Finral ported them at the front entrance of the Black Bull’s base. He wasn’t expecting it to look rundown and out of place. He looked at Finral, who paled and nervously chuckled. Langris placed his brother’s bag down and grimaced.

“Is this really where you’re going to live?”

Finral mumbled, “It’s supposed to be.”

“It’s awful.”

“Don’t say that,” He whined. “I’m going to live here.”

“Yeah,” Langris agreed. “Until you die from a mission.”

“You really don’t have faith in me, do you?”

Oh, Langris had faith in Finral to get out of trouble, but still, this wasn’t what Langris had in mind when his brother had finally gotten a job. “This is the consequence of joining the military. You can’t back out of it now.” He turned back to Finral. “Looking at your new base… it doesn’t look like it’s up to normal house standards.”

Before Finral could reply, the door opened.

“Hello!” Vanessa popped out with a cheerful smile. “Captain said you’d come by early! Come in! Come in!” She urged. She stopped when she saw Langris and grinned. “How adorable! You look alike!”

Langris scowled at the comparison.

“He’s my little brother.” Finral answered. “Langris, this is Vanessa.”

“Nice to meet you.” Langris replied, and handed Finral his bag. “I think it’s time I take my leave. It was nice knowing you, Brother.”

“You’re not going to stay a while?”

Langris’ eyes twitched as he looked back at Vanessa, who was holding the door open. He moved away from her and looked up at the size of the base. The whole layout looked like it would fall if one column that was holding the structure down was hit.

He turned back to Finral, whose eyes were swimming.

Langris hated when his brother used that type of manipulation on him.

He sighed, “Just until I see your room.”

Finral grinned and pulled Langris inside. He thanked Vanessa, who was more than happy to tour them around. Vanessa voiced out, “Captain won’t be back for a while. He’s at a meeting with the Wizard King, but he’ll be glad to see you.”

Langris noticed a huge figure sitting on the couch.

“That’s Grey,” Vanessa pointed. “Don’t worry about him.”

Finral waved his hand at Grey while Langris continued to stare. Langris would’ve kept going if it wasn’t for Finral dragging him to the door where Vanessa had gone. They blindly followed her as she told them that Finral is the first Knight Yami had ever gotten from the Magic Knight Entrance Exam.

“Really?” Langris curiously asked. “What about you?”

“None of us took the exam.” Vanessa chuckled. “Captain found us and recruited us.”

Langris and Finral shared a look. They weren’t surprised because they knew the Captains could do that if they wanted, but the fact that Yami hadn’t found one at the Entrance Exam except Finral was astonishing.

“Where are the others?” Langris asked.

“Oh, Charmy’s in the dining area. Let’s go meet her.” Vanessa said as she opened the door leading up to it. “Charmy, say hello to our guests! Remember Finral? The one I talked to you about?”

Charmy looked up from what she was eating and gave them a wave.

“Hello! Are you two hungry? There’s plenty of food to go around!”

Langris was startled when he bumped into a really fluffy, white sheep. It was offering him a plate of Pierogi, which were filled dumplings. Langris wanted to refuse, but the weird sheep insisted. He took a bite and found it pleasantly delicious.

“Charmy has cotton magic.” Vanessa giggled.

“Cool,” Finral said, patting one of them on the head. “There’re so many.”

They were surprised to see several sheep come out of the kitchen, carrying all sorts of plates filled with all kinds of food. They surrounded Charmy and assisted her with her meal. Some of them came back with new ingredients. Vanessa shook her head and moved along, urging the brothers to follow her out the door.

Langris was chewing on the pierogi.

He wasn’t sure what Finral had gotten himself into, but he was waiting to get out of Vanessa’s field of view to laugh. They went upstairs and ran into Gordon, who Vanessa introduced. He was soft spoken and creepy and Langris felt chills down his spine when Gordon showed them a doll he was making. It wasn’t finished, but Langris had an inkling that it wasn’t going to be like those dolls that the ladies collected.

They left Gordon and Vanessa moved them to another hallway.

“This is where Henry stays,” Vanessa said. “He’s the original owner of the house, but be careful when you get near him. He has a condition…”

Vanessa knocked on the door and they heard a faint “Come in.” from the other side. When Vanessa opened the door, Langris and Finral gasped when they stared at Henry. Henry waved a weak, “Hello… Nice… to meet… you.” And the brothers greeted out of raised politeness. It didn’t take a genius to notice the way the air got thicker and their bodies got heavier as the mana drained from their bodies.

So that was his condition, huh?

“We’ll leave you to rest, Henry!” Vanessa said. “Talk to you later!”

“…Okay…” Henry replied.

She closed the door and cheerfully announced. “You’ve met everyone in the Black Bulls. Your room is right around the corner.” She guided them to it and opened the door. It was spacious and had enough drawers for Finral to put all his items in. There was even a writing desk similar to the one he had back at home, which was great.

“I’ll leave you two alone to set up.” She grinned. “I’ll be downstairs.”

After she left, Finral went inside and tried to get a feel of the room. Langris followed after him and closed the door. He placed his brother’s bag down and grimaced.

“Congratulations, Brother.” Langris said. “You’re in the weirdest squad ever.”

Finral chuckled, “I did say it wasn’t like the Golden Dawn.”

“Not like the Golden Dawn?” He repeated with a scoff. “Far from it. There’s what— like six of you— seven if you include the Captain. One of them is clearly bedridden... I wouldn’t even call this a squad… I don’t get it. The Black Bulls started out exactly the same as the Golden Dawn. How is it possible that your Captain hasn’t recruited almost the same amount as we have?”

“I don’t know.” Finral absently answered as he tried the bed. “But they seem like good people.”

“Good? Sure- whatever you say…” Langris sighed as he started looking around. “But they don’t look like they can lift a finger when it comes to Magic Knight Duties. The tiny one with the sheep… how do you even fight with those things?”

“I like them.”

“Of course you do, you like everyone.”

Finral chuckled as he pushed himself off the bed and started unpacking. “They’re not so bad.” He voiced. Langris snorted at that, but started unpacking the rest of Finral’s belongings. While his brother was distracted, Finral stared at him, eyes darkening as his thoughts betrayed him. The moment he met the Bulls, he already assessed what kind of people they were.

This was the main reason he chose them in the first place.

_“They’re exactly what I imagined, Brother.”_

* * *

**oOo**

After an hour or so, all of Finral’s items were unpacked. The two brothers sat facing each other on the bed. Finral smiled. “Thank you for today.” He said. “You didn’t have to take time off from work to help me move, but I’m glad you did. It helps… to… transition out of there, I guess.”

“It’s fine,” Langris said. “I needed a break anyway.”

“Are things okay with the Golden Dawn?”

“Well, we still haven’t made a dent on who the murderer is.” Langris shrugged as he flipped Finral’s robe around in his hands. “No one knows where he’ll strike next, but we think it might be one of the Feudal lords in the common realm.”

“Really?” Finral blinked. “Why?”

“The murderer isn’t exactly organized, which I think is deliberate. Who targets criminals as well as innocents? Besides, this murderer just about does everyone in whether you’re royal, noble, commoner, or peasant.”

“Aren’t you taking this too seriously?”

“Do you _want_ me to slack off, Brother?”

“No,” Finral shook his head. “I’m just saying to relax a little.”

“I’ll relax when I’m dead.”

Langris noticed Finral had flinch at that comment. He could understand why. Finral was always worried about him. Every time Langris came home and told him about his day, whether it was a simple mission to an all-out battle, Finral was always worried.

He tried to change the subject.

With a sigh, Langris went, “Try not to keel over and die from a heatstroke. Your robe isn’t exactly made for the sun.”

Finral chuckled as he swiped the robe off Langris’ hands. Then they paused when they heard muffled voices outside. Finral smiled, and took a guess on who it was. “Maybe that’s the Captain. He’s early though.” He said as he pushed himself off the bed.

Langris followed him as they placed their boots back on.

Thankfully, they had memorized the way down to the common room.

When they got there, the Bulls were gathered by the couch with Yami blowing his cigarette in the middle of the room. He turned his suspicious taupe colored eyes at Finral, who can’t help but stare. Moving away from the trick of the light, it was a mix of brown and grey. Something about it was unnerving to Finral, and he can’t help but wonder why.

“Who the hell are you?” Yami asked.

Finral startled, but noticed Yami’s eyes had trailed to Langris. Finral chuckled nervously, because Langris wasn’t backing down either. Captain or not, Langris hated being looked down on. He would’ve challenged Yami, but Finral interrupted with a forced laugh.

“He’s my little brother.” He voiced. “He helped me unpack my belongings.”

Langris narrowed his eyes. “I think it’s time I take my leave.”

Finral and Langris exchanged a look, but they didn’t have much to go on when Yami voiced, “Say hi to Captain Shiny for me when he gets back. Tell him Julius is looking for him.” Langris listened carefully and while annoyed that he was being ordered around, he reminded himself that Yami was still a Captain and one of Captain Vangeance’s friends.

Langris answered, “I’ll see to it he gets it if I run into him.”

He turned one last look at Finral and walked out of the door. Finral stood there, staring at Yami. Yami still had his eyes locked on him. Behind hardened eyes were questions, Finral knew it. But surprisingly, Yami didn’t ask him anything about his secrets.

Instead, Yami went, “Aren’t you going to port your brother back?”

“Oh, right…” Finral realized and carefully walked to the door. He kept his eye on Yami, but then turned away. He disliked the way Yami was keeping a close watch on him. He couldn’t have that continue. Finral knew he had to be extra careful.

When he walked out the door, Langris was in a foul mood.

“You’re back,” Langris grimaced. “I didn’t bring a broom with me when we came here. I hope you know that.”

“Sorry,” Finral apologized. “I didn’t think you’d be dismissed so quickly.”

“He’s going to be your Captain from now on.” He voiced, sounding a little bitter. “I’m not the one who has to suffer through that— whatever that scene was. And this place looks more like a dungeon than a house.”

“Langris,” He whined.

“Can’t say I wish you any luck, but try to be better.” He advised with difficulty. But as Langris continued, his stance and face softened as he whispered. “And be careful not to get kidnapped again. Joke or not, I don’t want to lose my brother a second time.”

Finral felt his heart break.

He walked up to him and embraced him. No words were needed. Finral pulled away and opened a portal back to the Golden Dawn and watched his brother wave goodbye. Then it was over. The portal closed and Finral was alone with the Bulls. He forced himself not to tense when he felt Yami’s mana by the door. He was waiting for him.

Finral had done his research.

He knew who Yami was and Finral knew he had to be careful.

With his plans in motion, he shouldn’t get caught.

Yami had this weird, ki-sensing ability that no one else had. If he found anything remotely wrong with Finral, he would’ve said something by now. But then again, this would easy. Finral knew how to play games. And he wasn’t about to let his plans be destroyed by the Captain of the lowest squad.

“You done?” Yami called.

It was easy to fake a startle.

He slowly turned as Yami continued to stare at him with those piercing eyes. Finral didn’t need to fake nervousness. He was afraid of getting caught, that was for sure, but he was far more afraid of what awaited him if he failed his mission.

He wasn’t going back to Spade empty handed.

For now, he had to play along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and tell me what you think~ Thank you!


	7. Finral Vaude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yami's fun to write. xD

Finral was mysterious.

Yami didn’t think it was possible for one person to stump him as much as Finral did, but in the 6 months that Yami had worked and lived with him, he discovered several things that one wouldn’t at first glance. Finral was _helpful, smart, disgustingly sweet,_ and _a piece of shit._

Yami did everything he could to make Finral show his true colors.

None of it worked.

He made Finral port him anywhere at any time. He had him to errands that would insult even a commoner or a peasant. He gave Finral free reign over the reports and the treasury to see if he would fuck up, but all Finral did was make an entire working system. Yami couldn’t even make fun of Finral’s noble education because his team was benefiting from it.

Oh, Finral complained about the labor.

Who wouldn’t?

Yami just couldn’t figure him out and it irritated him.

He learned the hard way that Finral wasn’t _naïve_ or _soft-spoken._ He was definitely not an angel either. He was secretly a piece of shit. He never cursed, yelled, or been physically aggressive, but whenever they were alone, Finral would tell him unexpected things.

They were mostly minor comments, but Finral acted as if they had been long term friends.

Finral wasn’t even afraid of him.

It was weird.

The spatial mage only saved the shitty comments for Yami which made Yami feel special, but he couldn’t tell if it was genuine or not. He had gotten along nicely with Vanessa, who was sometimes a piece of shit herself if she wanted to be, but Yami was sure Vanessa wasn’t the reason Finral picked up that habit. When he thought about it, Finral’s attitude with the Bulls differed between individuals. So whether Finral was a people pleaser or not, it was definitely weird.

Day one of his recruitment, he had already been full of contradictions.

It was a good thing that Yami could sense Ki.

He knew Finral was lying _(even to himself)._ He did it with a straight face too, which made everything confusing. Yami never called him out on it. He let Finral believe he was being played so that one day, Yami would be able to call him out on the bluff.

The excuses weren’t alarming.

Not really.

Finral would often use the excuse that he _had_ to go see his parents or little brother. Not far-fetched. Yami always checked if he was telling the truth. He did, but there was something in his Ki that told Yami that wasn’t the only story.

There were also Finral’s side-missions.

None of it was serious.

Finral never showed any propensity for violence or combat. He did delivery or he’d offer to port people for a few coins. But that’s not what got Yami’s suspicions ticking. It was Finral’s distraction. There were times that he’d come back later than usual and make up an excuse of meeting a pretty girl and asking her out on a date.

Yami thought it was bullshit.

_“Flirting, my ass.”_

Oh, Finral was telling the truth about the flirting, but there were times that Finral’s story didn’t add up. Besides, he had seen Finral flirt. It was so _forced_ and _unnatural_ that Yami felt sorry for him. Finral was so bad at it, that Yami thought Finral was just a hopeless romantic. He had a few good laughs at Finral’s lame advances and attempts at a romantic conversation, but there were still missing pieces to Finral’s story that stumped him.

Flirting games didn't go on that long.

Dates didn't either.

But Yami never had the courage to straight out ask because if it wasn’t a game and Finral was really trying, then it was going to be an embarrassing conversation for both of them. Besides, Yami would catch Finral on the lie eventually. Yeah, that didn't bode well with Yami's mental state at the moment.

Finral was just _really_ troublesome.

Everything he did made Yami’s head spin.

The first time Yami met him at the Magic Knight Entrance Exam, Yami was sure one of the candidates was going to die. It wasn’t just him. All the other captains were prepared for it. It was mostly because of Finral’s _“Angel of Death”_ title that got everyone on edge. While he had been a victim of the people’s gossip and fears, the captains weren’t taking any chances of being wrong.

During that first week, not one of the candidates died.

Only some random noble.

Apparently, the middle-aged man choked on his food right before he was about to sign over an estate near the border of the Noble and Common realm.

Yami’s suspicions on it being Finral were still iffy.

But he knew he was close.

He was never one to believe the rumors, but when the guy Finral had met at the exam died a while later, that became a different story. He died a couple of months after Finral was recruited. It was a clean death. The guy died sleeping and was found by the maids the next morning. The healing mages said it was a natural death, but the guy’s connection to one of the high nobles signing a trade was suspicious.

Lately, more and more nobles were dying, each having some purpose for the betterment of Clover.

Not only that, but Yami remembered the cold narrowing of Finral’s purple eyes and the reflexive twitch of his fingers at the exam. There was a possibility that Finral could’ve held a grudge. Yami couldn’t mistake the sharp, quick look Finral had given.

That wasn’t a coincidence.

Yami was torn between ‘ _Finral’s innocent’_ to ‘ _Finral’s the piece of shit ruining my sleep’._

He tried to track where Finral might have been at that time, but all Yami could think of was Finral doing his side-missions for extra coins, visiting a family member, or even flirting. It was difficult. He didn’t want to accuse Finral so willy-nilly, not without evidence.

What was his basis for accusing him?

  * Angel of Death
  * He disappears from time to time with stupid excuses
  * His rare Spatial Magic



Okay so those were the three things Yami could think of that would be plausible for evidence but nothing concrete enough to work with.

The first one was _stupid_. Being named by the people wasn’t enough to call you the killer. As for the second one, Yami couldn’t prove where Finral went because Yami couldn’t keep track of him all the time. He could always steal Finral’s grimoire and check the places he marked, but that was invasive and he had no reason to do that.

If it proved false, Yami would be the bad guy.

As for the third, the darn Spatial Magic could get Finral anywhere he wanted to.

The murderer was described as fast and slick. He was a great escape artist, leaving enough evidence for them to know it was murder, but not enough to catch the murderer. Spatial Magic was also rare and the properties of the magic never left trails of mana, so it went undetected after a short amount of time.

While Spatial Magic was rare, Finral wasn’t the only mage with that power.

So Yami had to think of other things.

He thought of one: _Finral’s reluctance to talk about his memories._

Whenever someone brought it up, Finral would always say, “I don’t remember.” Finral was lying. Oh, Finral knew Yami could sense Ki. So Yami thought Finral was just feigning ignorance and keeping up the act to mess with him, or Yami was just paranoid and Finral just didn’t want to talk about the horrible memories plaguing his mind.

Either way, Yami would never know.

However, there was also evidence supporting that Finral may _not_ be the killer.

In the 6 months Yami had been with Finral, the boy had been nothing but accommodating and disgustingly sweet and innocent. While Finral lied from time to time about his whereabouts, his genuine kindness threw Yami in for a loop. Whenever Finral talked about his little brother, his eyes sparkled. There was also Finral taking over reports, the treasury, and other stuffs that Yami generally didn’t care about, but the Bulls desperately needed… Finral knew how to run things, politics, all that bullshit and paperwork…

Finral hadn’t betrayed them yet.

He had done so much for the Bulls in so short a time and he had become good friends with everyone. That wasn’t fake… Yami knew what fake looked like on Finral’s face, especially when he did it in front of his parents.

Finral was almost a blessing in disguise and Yami was just… he was done being confused. He palmed his face and tried to melt into the couch. There were a couple bottles on the table. He should’ve been careful not to let his head get foggy from the alcohol… but for Finral’s confusing character, he had to do it. His eyes closed when he tried to relax, slowly breathing in the smell of smoke from his almost finished cigarette.

He hated himself.

Yami was never one to overthink, but Finral was just… weird.

He was halfway into falling asleep when he felt a familiar flare of mana ripple through the empty room. Yami slowly opened his eyes to see Finral pop out from the portal.

“You’re back,” Yami stated. “Took you long.”

Finral huffed, “Whose fault was that?”

“Where have you been?”

“You didn’t want to pick up the paperwork from the Magic Knight Headquarters, so I got it for you.” He waved the folder at Yami. “It’s the transfer papers for the new recruit, Gauche Adlai. I still can’t believe you recruited a convict… well… ex-convict now.”

Yami blankly stared at him.

Finral waited.

“What?” Yami asked. “You expecting anything else?”

“I don’t know why I bother.” He resigned. “I’m going up to my room to read this. If that’s fine with you, since you don’t really read any of it… ” Then he muttered, knowing Yami could still hear him. “It’s not any different from reading the newspaper.”

“Since when did you become sassy?”

“Since all the work was given to me.”

“You can hand it back.” Yami reached out. “I don’t need you to do the work.”

Finral stared at the hand right in front of him. Then he looked up at Yami’s eyes and tilted his head. Something was… off about him. “I think I’ll keep it.” He said, hoping to test out his reasons. “You look like you’re drunk.”

“Not drunk enough,” Yami corrected. “Hand it over.”

“But you’re not going to read it.”

“Yeah, I just want you to hand it over so I can toss it aside.”

“Then let me have it.”

Yami took a lazy dive to grab the folder. Finral squeaked in panic and ported away. He was fast. Yami stared at the empty space. If he had been using all of his skills, he would’ve gotten that paper. After a few seconds, a portal popped out a distance away from him.

“I’m sorry,” Finral apologized. “I’ll give it back after I read it! Promise!”

Then he was gone again.

Yami palmed his face, wanting to wring his hair out. Why was Finral so difficult to understand?! Was he a good guy or a bad guy?! Was Yami just obsessed and stupid and concerned… and just… chasing stars? Whatever it was, it was _still_ getting on Yami’s nerves.

Without a second thought, he headed for the exit and grabbed his broom.

He needed to clear his head and get laid.

That’ll do the trick.

By the time he returns, Yami knew that paper would be waiting for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finral's already making Yami's head spin, but at least Yami's giving it a thought. Next, we'll learn more about the Spade Kingdom and why Finral does what he does. Please leave a review, I would love to know your thoughts~ Thank you!


	8. Compulsion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've returned! Work is slowly killing me... *cries* But here you guys go~

In 2 years at age 19, Finral had worked his way up as a _1 st Class Junior Magic Knight._

He stopped at the notion of raising his rank any further than what it was, because people would question it. He should never be seen as any stronger or higher than the Bulls in any way or form. He had already infiltrated Clover Kingdom as a spy, so he couldn’t risk losing his cover, but that didn’t mean Finral couldn’t enjoy the other aspects of living freely without reprimand.

He was, after all, in a squad with lazy people.

They did have their merits.

After the Bulls had increased in number, the chaos they create during missions was just an excuse for Finral to cut down some of Clover’s finest people. It was far easier for him because others saw it as an accident or collateral damage. Finral didn’t care which one so long as he was able to add in a few extra casualties in his kill count.

Being a Magic Knight was a wise decision.

Finral had perfected his character of being a lazy flirt among a squad of misfits.

He couldn’t help but compare them to Spade where the people were just as dysfunctional and uncaring on the field as they were in the barracks. The Black Bulls were unique individuals with eccentric personalities, which to Finral was just a watered down version of Spade’s military.

That made it easier to adjust than anything else.

Finral sighed, he really didn’t miss Spade. Kidnapped and forced to work for them was one thing, the fact that he was still doing it out of fear was another. He remembered that he still needed to do his bimonthly report.

 _“I should go.”_ He thought. _“I really shouldn’t be late.”_

With a brief excuse to go out and meet girls, which was pretty pathetic, Finral made his exit. He was sure no one minded. Yami may have given him a look, but Finral always compared it to someone who was just irritated. Yami, was terrifying as he was, wasn’t on Finral’s top list of most _vicious_ or _horrific_ of Captains.

He didn’t even make it to the top five.

Finral ported out of the base.

He moved to several towns first. It became a habit of his to port to different locations before his actual destination so he would be able to lose anyone that was following him. He made sure it was always a random location with no pattern to it. Moving around quickly was never a hardship for a spatial mage like him. He went to the Common Realm first, then back to the Noble Realm… switching back and forth— somewhat exhausting his mana.

Although he never stayed for more than a few minutes.

Finally, he reached the Forsaken Realm.

He grimaced when he saw several Golden Dawn members patrolling the area. He sighed; they were still guarding the border. Usually, it was the Purple Orcas who guarded this area, but they were probably too easy to take out, hence their frenzied need to switch squads.

This was horrible.

If the Golden Dawn continued their assignment, Spade soldiers would have difficulty crossing back and forth from Spade, the Neutral Territory, and Clover.

They would need Finral to port them straight into Clover.

 _“Damn it,”_ He cursed. _“I can’t catch a break.”_

Finral rolled his eyes. He didn’t have time for this. Annoyed, he ported straight out of the Forsaken Realm and into Neutral Territory. He continued west and finally entered Spade Kingdom. There was no longer a need to hide, so Finral ported himself to one of the easiest and most open locations in the Grand Magic Zone.

He could’ve ported directly from base to there, but he didn’t want to arouse suspicions. Besides, he had good mana amount for a high noble, but it wasn’t infinite; a jump like that would be tiresome compared to moving through point to point with some intervals to rest.

Besides, Yami could sense Ki.

If Finral lied, Yami would instantly detect it. So why not hide the lie among a series of truths. That was the only solution Finral could think of for Yami. If he can’t outright lie, he could always shut up. He still had to be careful though.

As soon as he appeared, Dante was waiting for him.

Next to him was Zenon.

Finral tried to keep his eyes low and respectful. He took a step forward and bowed ever so slightly. He tried to keep his emotions in check as he silently questioned their intentions. It was always one or the other, so it was strange to see both of them there at the same time.

“Lord Dante,” Finral greeted.

“You’re later than usual.” Dante voiced. “Did something happen?”

“The border at the Forsaken Realm is still being guarded.” He reported. “They haven’t switched squads in several months. They must think that leaving the Golden Dawn to patrol that area had dissuaded any infiltration on… _our_ part.”

“A foolish notion,” He chuckled. “We’re simply _bidding_ our time.”

“Of course.”

“What else do you have to report?”

Finral spoke to them about his progress and relayed information about certain people that ran the Clover Kingdom. He told them that the Clover Kingdom’s King was no threat, but he was heavily guarded and so was the castle. He did assure that it wasn’t impenetrable. There was a weakness, but he had yet to find it. He even reported several Magic Knights that might prove to be a threat one day if they continue honing their skills, but majority of the best Knights were from the Golden Dawn.

Because of that, Finral begged Dante not to injure his brother should they encounter him.

“Are you asking?” Dante questioned.

“Begging,” Finral corrected, knowing how much Dante liked the power play. “I know you promised once before, but—”

“Do you doubt my word?”

“No, I was—”

In a blink of an eye, Dante appeared before Finral. Finral froze as the mana emanating from Dante was enough to cut through the air. It was terrifying and it drowned him. Finral may be skilled, but a mana more powerful than his was enough to stop him from using any magic to escape. Even if he could get away, he wouldn’t be able to go that far.

He knew Dante would hunt him down.

“Forgive me,” Finral said. “I spoke out of turn.”

Dante raised a hand to tuck a strand of hair away from Finral’s face. He crept closer and whispered into his ear, “I wouldn’t worry. If I were you, I would follow the orders I was given.” He pulled back and smiled. Compared to his mirthful eyes, Finral’s was wide and fearful; just how Dante wanted it. “I wouldn’t hurt your brother,” Dante announced. “Unless I have to. You won’t give me a reason, will you?”

“No, Lord Dante.”

“You may go.”

Finral nodded and ported away.

Dante sighed. How long had he known Finral? The boy never really changed. He turned to Zenon, who was staring at him. “Is something wrong?” Dante playfully asked, because he had seen those eyes before. There was a question that needed answers.

Zenon wondered, “Are you going to make him one of the Dark Disciples?”

Dante laughed.

“No.” He shook his head. “It’s too soon. Clover will know if we give him _that_ power. I have other plans for him. As long as he shares information and cuts down Clover’s numbers, he’s useful to us. If he tries to defect, he can still be useful in the future. Besides, he doesn’t need a demon for us to get our way.”

Dante snickered.

“A Spatial mage will _always_ be useful.”

* * *

**oOo**

Finral continued his bimonthly report.

The more he did, the harder it was for him to get back to Spade unless he ported directly to their location. Since the border was heavily guarded and the Golden Dawn weren’t letting up their defenses, Finral had to make an extra effort to see to it that Spade had the advantage.

Dante may be patient, but his patience wasn’t limitless.

Finral had to find a way to help Spade without putting himself in danger. He may have to start porting back and forth between countries, which was going to take a toll on his mana. He also needed to think of other methods to get information to them.

 _“Oh no,”_ He grimaced.

When he reached the Clover border, he saw a greater number of Magic Knights patrolling the area. They were stretched as far into the Neutral Territory. He cursed, because there were so many of them. He didn’t even need to count to know there were more than thirty of them scattered across the fields and forest.

_“I have to warn them before the next attack.”_

He ported straight to the town of Tolon in the Spade Kingdom.

It was cold and overrun by Spade soldiers. They were pulling people towards the _Candelo,_ the large mana vehicles stationed nearby to fuel it. Finral grimaced, knowing full well those people won’t survive the trip through the Grand Magic Zone _._ He could already see a number of people in the middle section of the fortress getting their mana drained.

_“I shouldn’t waste time.”_

He tried to sense where Dante was.

In the distance, there was another Candelo stationed not far from the town. Dante was inside of it. Finral sighed, breath cold. He ported before the Candelo and made his presence known. The five legs of the Candelo lowered to open a door for him in the lower half.

A couple of guards welcomed him and led him through the guarded halls.

Dante was expecting him.

They made their way to the second half. It was where they kept people in a glass chamber to fuel the fortress. Finral tried not to stare or listen to the screaming and begging people trapped inside. He moved up to the top floor where the fortified buildings were and he was welcomed to where Dante was.

“Not a leisurely stroll, is it?” Dante voiced.

“They’re everywhere.” Finral reported. “Twenty from the Golden Dawn, and several from both the Crimson Lions and the Silver Eagles; they have the entire border surrounded up to half of the Neutral Territory.”

Dante gestured to one of his men. “Look into it.”

Finral knew Dante wasn’t stupid enough to go through one of his portals head first. He never trusted Finral enough for that. He probably never will, but he was useful and that was what mattered. Finral opened a portal in front of one of the generals and the man placed his head inside. The general looked down and saw the number of Magic knights.

No, Finral wasn’t lying.

The man pulled away and nodded to Dante.

“We cannot keep meeting at the very edge of the Spade Border,” Dante muttered. “No doubt there will be spies attempting to look into what we’re doing. Sooner or later, Clover will be bold enough to trespass and start setting up traps for us. We cannot keep meeting in Tolon either or any other towns nearby.”

Finral paled, dreading the next sentence.

“We’ve been meeting bimonthly since the past two years.”

“We have, Lord Dante.”

Dante sighed, “I want more reports, so we will change that to a weekly meeting.” That surprised Finral. He had a cover to keep, he couldn’t leave weekly. That would arouse Yami and the others suspicions. “We’ll meet at the overlooking tower in Spade where the mana is heavier and stronger.”

“The Watch Tower?” Finral asked. “Near the castle…”

“Indeed.”

“My magic—”

“Are you complaining?” Dante wondered and explained. “You have a marker at the Watch Tower. It’s closer to the castle and it’s covered in heavy mana from the Grand Magic Zone to avoid detection. Even that would help erase the faint trails you leave.”

Finral tried not to grimace.

He could jump from one location to another, but it took large amounts of his mana and concentration. Sure, he was accurate and agile, but sometimes the Grand Magic Zone disrupted his markers. Not so much to an extent that it was erased, but it only made it harder for Finral to concentrate on ending up where he wanted to be.

“If my lord would understand—”

“Four years.” Dante raised his voice, making Finral tense. “You’ve been in Clover for four years compared to your seven here, and you’ve gotten bolder. Is it true, what I’ve been hearing from the others? Tales about Finral Vaude, the Angel of Death…”

“A title only, Lord Dante.”

“Tell me if this is true, Finral.”

Dante moved towards him and let his long finger trace over Finral’s shoulders, inching its way down to his heart. A strong pulse of demonic mana froze Finral to his spot. Unable to move, he could only stare at Dante and not panic. This happened before; it would continue to happen for as long as Finral let it. The King of Spade knew he was afraid, and that was what Dante enjoyed.

“Have you been slacking?”

Finral immediately answered, “No, my lord.”

“I’m used to liars.” Dante sighed, smiling ever so often. “That’s fine with me, but I wouldn’t want to lose someone as valuable as you so soon.” His finger traced a circle over his heart. “By now, majority of Clover’s military should be _dead._ How difficult is it to strike a killing blow in stealth? Two deaths in a month, you’re slowing down.”

“Forgive me.” He whispered. “I cannot—”

“Forgiveness doesn’t earn results.” Dante interrupted as he pulled away, releasing Finral from his spell. “I want this done properly; the Watch Tower and more deaths… each week.”

Finral nodded, but Dante wasn’t finished with him.

Dante lowered his head to whisper in something in Finral’s ear. It made Finral tremble, fists clenching in anger, fear, and disgust. Dante pulled away and saw the frustration building up in Finral’s eyes. It was a wonderful sight to see, knowing that the boy was very helpless and easy to manipulate.

Sweetly, Dante asked, “Have I made myself clear?”

Finral nodded, “Crystal.”

After that awful conversation, Finral got off the Candelo and watched it leave the town of Tolon. He waited for his heart to calm down before he ported back to the Clover Kingdom to wander around for a bit; somewhere… anywhere.

He wanted to scream.

Finral could still hear Dante’s voice echo in his head.

_Do you want me to torture your little brother just to get you to do this properly?_

_Because you know I can._

Finral trembled. He couldn’t afford to show weakness. He composed himself and tried to calm down. He was in Clover now. He just had to follow Dante’s instructions and Langris would be safe. More deaths and more meetings every week; it was too much. He had to figure something out to make that work. It was already difficult to maneuver through the mana filled areas, especially the stronger regions in Spade.

It drained him.

Finral palmed his face, unsure of what to do.

He was also annoyed that Dante made sure he had leverage over him. He was almost sure that the conversation would’ve ended up with Dante saying he had made him stronger than he was before. Back then, he had been a terrified child… but now… now he was stronger.

Dante didn’t make him stronger.

Finral _made_ himself stronger.

His drive to protect his brother had gotten him to where he was now. He hadn’t forgotten what they did to him as a child. The stories they placed in his head, the lies they told him about Clover… but Finral was smart. He knew who the enemy was. He may have agreed to their foul deeds and their foolish goal, but he wasn’t _just_ a mindless pawn. He had a conscience too, and truth be told, his selfishness to protect Langris was the only reason he kept doing this.

He couldn’t let Langris to live in Spade like he had.

He couldn’t let him end up as a killer like him.

He needed to protect him.

Finral would do everything he could to shelter his little brother, even if it meant betraying his country.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and tell me what you think~ Thank you!


	9. Worn Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way longer than necessary. For everyone reading this, I apologize for the long wait~ Hope you like this!

“Damn it.”

Langris threw the documents on his desk.

Within two months, the number of deaths in Clover’s military had doubled. Each week, at least three to five _Magic Knights_ would go missing. It was an alarming situation that had every squad on high alert for whoever was doing this. It was difficult, because majority of the missing cases had to be put on hold due to lack of trails and evidence.

The strangest part was that the civilian deaths had stopped, and all focus had gone to the military.

This led Langris to believe that this was the same killer who targeted civilians several months before. It was just too planned for it not to be. Majority of the civilian cases were accidental or coincidental deaths. Now, Magic Knights would go missing left and right without a trail, while others— good Magic Knights— would simply fall from a mistake or two?

_Impossible._

Langris _knew_ someone was behind this.

It had almost the same pattern as before, but instead of targeting people who were beneficial to Clover, this was targeting potential threats. When the investigation was issued, it was later discovered that most, if not all the missing Magic Knights had offenses against Clover Kingdom. There were evidence of _treason, murder, rape, torture, illegal trading_ or _distribution of highly rare magical items, drugs, plunder,_ and so much more.

To have traitors within the military was nothing short of a wakeup call.

“So it’s not over.”

Langris palmed his face and picked up another document.

“Highest number of cases: the Purple Orcas,” He mumbled, looking over their names to check for a pattern. “Second in tally: the Silver Eagles, then the Crimson Lions…” He moved over to the next page as the number of missing or dead people lessened. “Green Mantis, Azure Deer, Golden Dawn, Coral Peacocks, Blue Rose—”

He stopped when he noticed the last squad.

“Black Bulls,” Langris murmured. “No missing or dead.”

It wasn’t that surprising. They were a tightly knit group, who barely contribute anything good to the society. They had negative stars for property damages and while some of them had shady background, it would be difficult to eliminate them at such close quarters.

Honestly, Langris was relieved.

He wouldn’t want his older brother to go missing again.

He wasn’t sure if he could take it.

That reminded him. There were a good number of people who were still bent into thinking Finral was the cause of the murder. That could be a potential danger, and it pissed Langris off every time he heard it spoken anywhere near him.

Even in his own squad, Langris couldn’t be free of it.

As vice-captain, he had the authority to tell people off; sometimes he would dare them to say it to his face if they really wanted to argue about Finral’s credibility. At least everyone was in their right mind not to challenge him, because Langris would definitely win, but it didn’t stop him from worrying about Finral’s safety.

Speaking of which…

 _“He should be here by now,”_ Langris thought. _“What’s taking him so long?”_

* * *

**oOo**

Lost in thought, Finral sat at the edge of the roof of their hideout.

He was so tired.

As promised, he fulfilled the weekly killing-spree Dante wanted. Yet it felt like it wasn’t enough. He slumped and curled in on himself as his eyes drifted to the vast forest around him. Freedom was in his reach, yet it felt so distant. He sighed, closed his eyes, and allowed the cold, gentle breeze calm him.

Carefully, his right hand drifted to his left arm.

It still hurt.

He remembered rough hands grabbing him so tightly that his bones would break. His eyes shut tighter as he tried to get rid of the terrifying image that followed after. He couldn’t escape it. The only thing he could do was obey and he wouldn’t get hurt.

 _Langris_ wouldn’t get hurt.

Finral blamed the Clover Kingdom.

They were too complacent and foolish not to realize that their enemy was already within their walls. It just showed how incompetent their current rulers were. The fact that they couldn’t catch him was a sign that Clover was doomed to be in the hands of Spade. He barely had to lift a finger or feel remorse while doing it.

A slip of a hand gesture here and there, and a clueless Magic Knight would find himself falling into magma or animal infested areas where it was easier to hide dispose of bodies. There were times he didn’t have to work at all. Another slip of a hand, and he would redirect enemy attacks for a more critical hit to ensure death.

Clover was weak.

He learned that from growing up in Spade.

However, deep down Finral’s inner conflicts were battling each other out. Part of him believed he was justified. Why? Because he selected those people with possible criminal records just to ease the burden of killing more innocent lives. This was, in Finral’s mind, the easiest way to please both sides. In his inner battle, he both loved and hated Spade and Clover.

He thought he was clever, but he was just fooling himself.

Finral scolded himself.

_“Now’s not the time to be dramatic. Langris is looking for you.”_

Carefully, he stood up and tried to ignore the warmth and weakness of his body. He was exhausted. Two months, he had to worry about his performance and Langris’ safety. Dante’s threat still loomed over him, and Finral knew he couldn’t screw this over. He had already seen the worst of what Spade offered.

That wasn’t something he wanted to repeat.

* * *

**oOo**

_“Should I go to him?”_ Langris debated. _“It’s not like him to be late.”_

One of the reasons why he called to meet Finral was because he was deeply worried. The increase of panic, the death threats, and rumors were too much. His brother was sweet and kind. There was no doubt that the pressure must’ve gotten to him.

Langris looked at his calendar.

 _“I could take the day off,”_ He thought. _“It’s not like this case is going anywhere.”_

Before he could actually consider the potential consequences of that decision, he felt a wisp of familiar mana inside his room. Langris turned and saw a portal appear from the wall. Finral stepped out and nearly collapsed from where he stood.

Langris shot from his chair and ran to him.

“What have you been doing?!” He cried out as he moved to support his older brother. “You look horrible!” It wasn’t his appearance that was unsettling, it was Finral’s expression and overall body language that alarmed Langris.

“Good morning,” Finral mumbled.

“It’s not a good morning if you look this bad!”

“I’m fine, Langris.”

“No, you’re not. Sit down.”

He dragged Finral to the bed and sat him down. The worst part was that Finral wasn’t refusing any of his advances to check on him. Langris took his temperature and hissed when it was higher than normal. He moved to his drawers to look for a small cloth and ran to the bathroom to soak it in cold water. He came back and found Finral lying on his side and taking advantage of Langris’ bed. He had taken his boots off and was curled up like a child.

“Brother,” Langris called. “Wake up.”

“I’m awake.”

“What have you been doing?” He asked as he sat on the edge of the bed and placed the cloth on Finral’s forehead. “You’re starting a fever and it’ll only get worse if you don’t take care of it. You could’ve declined or I could’ve gone over to your place instead. Does your captain know you’re out and about?”

“Not really,” Finral mumbled. “But knowing Yami, he knows I’m out.”

“You could’ve just said you weren’t feeling well.”

“You made it sound urgent.” He argued. “Besides, I need to deliver something.”

Langris blinked. “What? In this condition?”

“It’ll go away. Don’t worry.”

“Call in sick!” Langris raised his voice as he tried to yank Finral’s robe off. “You’re not healthy! Get some of your other lazy squad members to do it!”

Finral laughed as he tried to pry Langris’ hand away when he continued to fuss. “I should be the one fussing over you, not the other way around.” Langris opened his mouth to argue, but he was cut off when Finral pulled him straight into his chest for a tight embrace. “Thank you, Langris. I’m so glad we’re brothers.”

Langris turned red, but didn’t fight or pull away.

“You’re sick,” He grumbled. “That’s why you’re mushy.”

“Maybe,” Finral hummed. “I just never got the chance to hug you as much as I’d like to.”

Langris noted that Finral’s grip on him was weak. He could easily get out of it, but he didn’t attempt to. In the years after Finral returned, Langris noticed that there were moments where Finral would overcompensate on being a good, older brother. Langris thought it was just to make up for the missing years, but it ran deeper than that.

He figured that Finral was still having issues about his permanent residency in Clover.

It had been a long time since they visited Owen or Marx for a checkup, but it’s quite clear to Langris that one of Finral’s _hidden_ traumas were triggered. If you didn’t look into the details, you wouldn’t see it, but Langris knew it was there.

In an attempt to make Finral comfortable and loved, Langris reluctantly wound his arms around him and returned the sappy hug. With the little joys Finral could feel, these were the moments he would remember.

“You’re such a handful,” Langris huffed. “You should take care of yourself more.”

“As long as you’re safe,” Finral mumbled. “I’m good.”

This time, Langris pulled away and sat properly. He stared at Finral, who still had his eyes closed. There were dark bags under his brother’s eyes and redness on his cheeks. When he hugged him earlier, he could feel a rib or two. It was a sign that Finral wasn’t eating as much nor resting as he should be. Why was that? What was so important that he had to sacrifice his health for?

“Brother,” Langris called.

Finral could barely open his eyes. “Yes?”

“Call in sick.” He calmly said. “You have nothing to prove. You can have someone else do the delivery for you. Just because you have Spatial Magic doesn’t mean they have to use you for everything. Next thing you know, nobody will remember how to use their brooms!”

“Good point,” Finral chuckled. “But that’s why.”

Langris huffed, “If it’s money you need, I can lend you some. One of the perks of being vice-captain is the extra cash I don’t need. And it’s not like I use it for anything really since it’s just pilling up in the treasury.”

“Thank you, Langris, but it’s not about the money.”

“Rank then.”

“Close, but not really,” Finral chuckled. “I have to delivery it myself. Everyone’s out but Yami.”

“Then make _him_ do it.”

“Are you really asking me to _make_ Yami _do_ something? That’s like getting a lion not to eat meat or in this case: asking a bull not to charge you.” Finral sat up and kept the cloth on his forehead. “But enough about me, you said you wanted to talk.”

“We _are_ talking, idiot.” Langris grumbled. “I just wanted to see if you were alright.”

“I’m fine. Honest.”

“No you’re not. Look at you, you can barely sit up!”

“It’s just a small fever.” Finral pretended as he tried to come up with an excuse. “It’ll go away soon. I’ve just been working a lot lately to try and see if I can bump up a rank from Junior to Intermediate Knight… but that’s just on me.”

Langris glared. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.”

Finral sighed and gave in.

“I guess there’s the issue about the rumors taking its toll on me, but it’s not that serious. The Bulls are helping, so you don’t have to worry about me being alone—” He stopped himself before he could dig himself a hole. “Please, Langris. Can we not talk about me?”

“Fine.” He huffed. “But that doesn’t stop me from worrying.”

“I know.” Finral smiled. “What’s new with you lately?”

“I called you over because I was worried.” Langris snatched the wet cloth from Finral, turned it over and slapped it back on Finral’s forehead for him to hold. “I have a just cause to do that and I was right to worry.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to be.”

“Too late for that.” He sighed. “Anyways, I also wanted to talk to you about the cases of missing Magic Knights. Remember the investigation I’ve been doing from way before… about a killer targeting people who were beneficial to Clover’s success? Well, I think they’ve changed targets from civilians to Magic Knights.”

“You think they’re one and the same?”

“Almost sure of it.” He nodded and reluctantly looked away. “But that’s not just why I wanted you over.” He took a deep breath and stated, “I’ve been assigned to the border next week to see how things are holding up with Spade. I’m taking a few dozen others with me.”

Finral froze, “What?”

“I’ve been assigned to the Border.” Langris repeated. “I wanted to check if you were fine before I left. With this killer on the loose and the rumors about you— I’m allowed to worry about your safety.”

Suddenly, Finral’s whole demeanor changed.

He grabbed Langris and embraced him so tightly that Langris would have a hard time prying him off. Before Langris could talk, Finral was spouting out worried nonsense.

“Be careful.” He voiced. “Don’t let your guard down, okay?! I’ve heard bad stuff about Spade… so just… please! Please, Langris! Please tell me you’ll be extra careful! Don’t try and fight if you know you can’t take them—”

“I’ll be fine!” Langris pushed him away. “What’s wrong with you?”

Finral didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled the cloth off his forehead and handed it to Langris. “I have to go now. I forgot I have to deliver something and it’s urgent… a deadline… stupid me.” He got off the bed and stumbled forward to the ground.

Langris shot forward and pulled him up.

“You’re not in any condition to go out!” He dragged Finral back to sit on the bed. “What’s wrong with you?! Did you hit your head on the way here?! Stay! I’ll send someone else to do it for you. There’s a bunch of lazy people around the base that I can get to work—”

“No!” Finral cried out.

Langris stared at him as if he was crazy.

“I’ll be fine, Langris, I swear.” He begged. “It’s just that they’re expecting me to do it. I’ll deliver it really quick and then go back to bed.”

“Fine, then I’ll go with you.”

“You can’t!”

Langris glared. Something was wrong. “What are you hiding from me, Brother?” Langris hissed, looming over Finral as he crossed his arms. “We were having such a nice conversation despite the context and now you want to leave. Have I done something to upset you?”

“No, never.” Finral said. “They’re just very strict about the delivery and its secrecy.” He swallowed hard as he felt his hands tremble. “I just want this done so we can continue talking about… Spade… without interruptions or… or the idea of _me_ not having delivered the thing yet.”

Langris sighed.

He knew Finral had a stubborn side, but it rarely showed.

“Fine, I’m giving you an hour to come back.” Langris glared. “You’re still not in any condition to go out on your own. Besides, we haven’t finished our conversation yet.”

“I know.” Finral wrapped his arms around Langris again. “I’ll be back.”

With a hand gesture, Finral practically bolted into his portal and disappeared. Langris stared at the empty space in his room and started to pace. He bit his lip and started muttering and scolding himself for letting his stupid brother go. Something was wrong and he couldn’t put a finger on it.

Langris cursed and said, “You better come back, Brother.”

* * *

**oOo**

It took a lot for Finral to jump back and forth between Spade and Clover in the last two months. It wasn’t just affecting him physically by draining his mana. Every encounter with Spade was mentally and emotionally exhausting.

Finral ported into the Watch Tower in Spade and collapsed.

He stayed on the ground when he felt the powerful and heavy mana from the terrain outside. He pushed himself up, willing himself not to faint. When he heard footsteps, he didn’t bother looking up. The Dark Triad enjoyed it when their disciples suffered.

“You look horrible.” Zenon voiced.

Sarcastically, Finral thought, _“I wonder why?”_

A strong mana pulse suddenly hit the tower and it made Finral woozy. He closed his eyes and remained hunched on the ground. It was just Zenon this time, huh? That’s fine. He knew Zenon wouldn’t do anything until Dante approved of it. He was terrifying, but not as terrifying as the King.

“The documents?”

Finral pulled the file this week’s kill count from beneath his clothes and lifted it up. Tendrils of magic allowed it to hover towards Zenon’s outstretched hand.

“Three Silver Eagle nobles,” Zenon voiced. “And two Purple Orca commoners.”

“Friendly fire.” Finral answered.

“Other causalities?”

“A few civilians who were nearby.” Finral mumbled, rubbing his forehead. “The Investigation Department has a separate list for it. But there are at least—” He paused when he felt another strong pulse from outside. “At least five causalities.” He finished. “I can’t keep doing this.”

Zenon scowled. “I would be careful with your words.”

“F-forgive me.” Finral whispered, feeling awfully sick. “I… it is only that Clover is doubling their security. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to steal and make copies of the reports. They’re beginning to suspect—”

“The Angel of Death?”

Finral wasn’t about to argue with Zenon on that. He knew that he wouldn’t even be considered a match for him. His magic would go right through Finral. What more if Zenon unleashed his demonic powers as he more often than not seen from other people’s disobedience?

“There’s more.” Finral stated. “Next week, the Golden Dawn will be patrolling the Border towards Spade. There will be more than a dozen members.” Reluctantly, Finral bowed his head. “My brother included.”

“The vice-captain.” Zenon voiced.

Finral clenched his fists, trying to stop them from trembling. He desperately wished that they wouldn’t attempt anything on his little brother.

_“Please, anyone but Langris.”_

Suddenly, another mana pulse hits the tower and Finral bit back a whimper. He was so sensitive to mana sensing these days, it was becoming troublesome. He closed his eyes when he felt Zenon take a step forward. Finral braced himself for a blow, but when it didn’t come, he was surprised.

“If they’ve placed a vice-captain to survey the border, then it’s serious.” Zenon blankly stated. “We’ll have the others stir clear of Clover for a while until things settle down.”

That brought relief to Finral.

“My brother is impressed.” Zenon continued. “For that, our meetings will be limited to twice a month.”

“Twice?” Finral repeated.

“Unless you’re hard of hearing, yes. We know it’s not wise to gain Clover’s attention just yet, but we do expect the same results from you. Keep pleasing my brother and you’ll live to see the next day.”

Zenon took his leave soon after.

Finally alone, Finral complained when another pulse of mana hit the tower. He had to get out of there. He couldn’t take it anymore. He took a deep breath as he stared the ground. The ground was cold to touch. If he could just lie down— _no!_ Finral couldn’t risk staying here and blowing his cover.

He had to leave.

In desperation, Finral forced his magic to open a portal straight back to Clover.

But where? He could port from here to the border, but if he passed out… they would find him. If they did, everything he worked so hard to protect would be over. Langris was also waiting for him. But if he collapsed, his brother would worry.

 _“Think, Finral.”_ He told himself. “What to do?”

The force of mana was still pounding through the walls of the tower. He stood up, deciding to go back to the Black Bulls base first. He had to tell Yami where he had gone, then where he would be. After that, he’d go back to Langris.

That way, his tracks would be covered.

However, Finral wasn’t expecting his portal to be disrupted by the pulse of magic outside. It ruined his concentration. So one last attempt, he opened the portal as wide as he could and jumped in. The long jump from Spade to Clover drained his mana to _zero._

As soon as his foot touched the ground, Finral collapsed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and tell me what you think~ Would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you!


End file.
